Does Your City Rank on Our Top 10 Treecyclers List?
by Jennifer Berry
Published on December 28th, 2009
7 Comments
Now that Christmas has come and gone, it’s time to start thinking about taking down your lights (although sometimes that takes a while), baubles and most importantly, your tree.
We’re sure that our previous discussion on the pros and cons of real vs. fake trees already convinced you that real trees are the most environmentally friendly choice. But one of the main reasons for this is that real trees are recyclable in many ways.
Cities around the country are holding treecycling events now through the first week of January (check your local listings for varying times, availability and how to prepare your tree for recycling), and some are stepping up their treecycling game.
Trees don't belong in the trash. They can be used for erosion protection, trail surfacing and wetland reconstruction. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com
With the largest national directory of treecycling locations, Earth911 knows a thing or two about putting your old noble fir to good use. According to our research, the cities with the highest number of treecycling programs* include:
1. New York City, N.Y. – 81
2. Los Angeles, Calif. – 26
3. Chicago, Ill. – 23
4. Las Vegas, N.V. – 22
5. Phoenix, Ariz. – 18
5. Gainesville, Fla. – 18
7. San Diego, Calif. – 17
8. Miami, Fla. – 13
8. San Francisco, Calif. – 13
10. Indianapolis, Ind. – 12
And we may be a bit early in publishing this guide – during last year’s holiday season, the most popular day for Christmas tree recycling was Jan. 3, according to the recycling searches on Earth911.com.
Between 30 and 35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. each year. Luckily, about 93 percent of those trees are currently being recycled through more than 4,000 available recycling programs.
Real Christmas trees can be recycled in a variety of ways. They are commonly turned into mulch and used in landscaping and gardening or chipped and used for playground material, hiking trails, paths and walkways. They are also used for beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization and fish and wildlife habitat.
*Top 10 rankings current as of Dec. 30, 2009 and may be subject to change.
Xris (Flatbush Gardener)
posted on December 28th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Ahem, Brooklyn has 16 locations, not 10. The Bronx has 18 locations, not 17. Both are part of NYC. Manhattan alone has 28 locations. There are 11 more locations in Queens, and another 8 in Staten island. That brings the NYC total to 80 locations, more than the combined total of the other 9 cities in the top 10.
For the current list of NYC locations, see http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/mulchfest/mulchfest.html
And that doesn’t count the two weeks of curbside pickup which begins next Monday.
ABC7.com Green Content - Undecking the halls
posted on December 28th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
[...] If those are hard to come by, the best directory of Christmas tree recycling centers can be found at Earth911. Get ready, Earth911 reports that Jan. 3 is the most popular day for tree pickups. By the way, [...]
Jennifer Berry
posted on December 28th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Hi Xris!
Thanks so much for updating us regarding NYC’s treecycling locations. Since our rankings were established Dec. 17th, there have been updates to our information and we are using your feedback to make adjustments to our database so others in your area will have the most accurate information.
Thanks again!
Tony Leteri
posted on December 29th, 2009 at 4:51 am
Treecycling, I love the term. Great way to begin 2010 by recycling our trees. Keep the recycling spirit going by recycling at your home and office [saves money and protects our environment]
Chicago leads the way in Christmas Tree Recycling
posted on December 29th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
[...] Christmas has come and gone. Pretty soon the trees will be coming down, but HOLD IT! Don’t be chucking your trees out in the garbage just yet! Trees don’t belong in the trash. They can be used for erosion protection, trail surfacing and wetland reconstruction. Thankfully Chicago leads the nation in the cities with the highest number of Christmas Tree Recycling programs according to Earth911. [...]
Darlyn
posted on December 31st, 2009 at 12:48 am
Wow…There are some things that i did not knew! i love this website and i will start recycle ling my trees!
I have a great suggestion for earth911!!! ATTENTION! I think that earth 911 should have their own channel!!!
it will be the best. please do it! it will make your fans happy!!!!
Jen McD
posted on December 31st, 2009 at 9:36 am
Another good option in colder climates is to put the tree outdoors to provide wildlife habitat. When spring comes it can still be treecycled, but it can provide a warm and cozy roost in the meantime!