Recycle Holiday Trees - Three Options for Sonoma County

COUNTY REMINDS RESIDENTS TO RECYCLE HOLIDAY TREES

~ Unincorporated County residents benefit from new
Christmas tree disposal options ~

Keep Sonoma Clean, a multi-agency Sonoma County program designed to reduce illegal dumping, reminds Sonoma County residents to recycle their Christmas trees.

Three convenient options are available for tree recycling:
- cut the tree into pieces and place it in your green waste container
- call a nonprofit to collect the tree
- or drop the tree off for free at one of many locations throughout the County.
Complete details can be found at www.recyclenow.org/r_christmastree.html, the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency Web site.

This year, residents in the Unincorporated County have an additional option for Christmas tree disposal. As a result of a new contract with North Bay Corporation, residents in the Unincorporated County may place a whole Christmas tree at the curb for pickup.

This service also is available in Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor. Residents may visit www.recyclenow.org/r_christmastree.html for curbside pickup dates and details, or contact their local recycling and garbage disposal provider.

In order for trees to be recycled through any of the collection programs, they must be free of decorations, tinsel and stand (metal or wood). Flocked trees will not be accepted.

“Sometimes people think that it’s okay to dump Christmas trees, because over time they decompose,” noted Patrick Carter, Waste Management Specialist for the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency. “But just because a waste product degrades doesn’t make it legal to throw it by the side of the road or in a creek. Roadside dumping is unsightly, trees discarded in a ditch or creek can cause flooding, and dead trees can create a fire hazard.

“Keep Sonoma Clean has now installed approximately a dozen surveillance cameras at common illegal dump sites throughout the County,” Carter added. “Regardless of how difficult times are, it’s always important to dispose properly of your waste to keep our families and neighbors healthy and safe. We offer so many options for recycling your Christmas tree; there is no excuse for dumping it illegally.”

For complete information about proper disposal or recycling of unwanted goods other than Christmas trees, consult the Keep Sonoma Clean Web site at www.KeepSonomaClean.org. To report an illegal dump site, visit the Web site or call 877-565-DUMP (3867).

Keep Sonoma Clean is a cooperative effort between the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division; the Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works, and the Sonoma County Sheriff, and is funded by a grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

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