CARLSBAD/OCEANSIDE, Dec. 15, 2005 - The Christmas tree is the symbol of the holiday season for many people, and it can have a useful life once the ornaments are packed away.

Coast Waste Management in Carlsbad and Waste Management of North County in Oceanside provide its customers the opportunity to recycle their trees after the holiday season at no extra charge.

Waste Management customers can recycle their Christmas trees for free by placing the trees at the curb on their scheduled pick-up day. Trees will be picked up for recycling during the two weeks following Christmas, beginning Dec. 26 (there will be no delay from the Christmas or New Year's holiday in trash or recycling service). Be sure to remove all decorations, including ornaments, tinsel, lights and the tree stand; if the tree is taller than six feet, please cut it in half.

Trees collected in the curbside program will either be mulched for reuse or utilized as “alternative daily cover” at local landfills (a layer placed on top of the active face of a landfill at the end of each day). Flocked trees cannot be recycled, but will be collected if cut into three-foot sections and placed into the regular trash cart.

“Every year in California, more than 40,000 tons of Christmas trees require handling at the end of the holiday season. We have a number of opportunities to utilize the materials in the trees again,” said Ken Ryan, District Manager of Coast Waste Management and Waste Management of North County. “If you have a live tree in your home, please recycle it when the holidays are over. The trees can be made into a number of useful products, such as wood chips or mulch for gardens.”

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