OK. The presents are opened; the remnants of that holiday meal are just waiting to be discarded. Wrapping paper and cardboard – crumpled and stuffed into garbage bags – is reduced to a faint reminder of the recent festivities. Does this mountain of wasted packaging give you a twinge of guilt? If so, you’re becoming more environmentally responsible and you’ll want to look into reducing this load. What’s the solution? Recycling! And that means your live Christmas tree too!
"The City will begin its citywide curbside collection of Christmas trees Monday, Jan 3rd through Friday Jan 7th ", said Bob Engel of Engel & Gray, Regional Compost Facility in Santa Maria. "Trees will be processed, along with regular green waste, into nutrient rich Harvest Blend Compost to be used as a soil amendment for landscape and agriculture".
Engel & Gray asks that you properly prepare your Christmas tree for recycling: please remove all ornaments, tinsel, and stands. Trees with stands and flocked trees will not be accepted and cannot be recycled. Place your Christmas tree on the curb, at least three feet away from your trash container on your regularly scheduled collection day.Recycling is the environmentally responsible way to dispose your live Christmas tree. Sending them to the landfill is a waste of natural resources. Transforming fresh trees into compost, which is used to make healthy soil and grow more trees, is the perfect way to “Complete the Cycle”.
More Holiday Waste Prevention Tips
You can help reduce the amount of waste generated in Santa Barbara County by taking a few of the following simple steps:
- Flatten, save, and reuse gift boxes, wrapping paper, bows and gift bags;
- Buy cards and wrapping paper made with recycled paper;
- After receiving new gifts, donate old items to a local charity or thrift store;
- Save and reuse holiday decorations (and gift bags) for future years;
- Cut up brown paper grocery bags to wrap parcels for mailing;
- Use comics, old posters, and shopping bags to wrap presents;
- remember: Styrofoam can NOT be recycled. Offer packing peanuts to local private mailing stores. Some companies are using starch based “compostable peanuts” that will dissolve in water or compost piles. Test peanuts by holding a few under running water – if they’re biodegradable, they’ll dissolve.
Now that you’ve recycled that mountain of organic materials, you’re on your way to a brighter, less cluttered New Year. Naturally!
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