Free program allows residents to turn Christmas trees into mulch starting December 26
LAS VEGAS, NV – Recycle your Christmas tree and bring it a second life as a gift to the community. Each holiday season the Springs Preserve partners with local public and private organizations to reduce holiday landfill waste and to create much needed mulch for local parks and public gardens through the recycling of Christmas trees. Beginning Sunday, December 26 and continuing through Saturday, January 15, Las Vegans are encouraged to drop off their discarded Christmas trees at one of 21 convenient locations throughout the city.
From the programs inception in 2001, Las Vegas valley residents have recycled 78,754 trees saving 10,500 cubic yards of landfill space and creating 685 tons of mulch! Since 2006 residents have broken the 10,000 tree mark each year and nearly 12,000 trees were recycled in the 2009-10 season. The chipped trees were turned into 117 tons of nutrient rich mulch and local landfill volume was spared 114 tons.
“It may seem as if artificial trees are a sustainable alternative to farmed, fresh cut Christmas trees, but actually the opposite is true,” said Aaron Micallef, Education Program Supervisor at the Springs Preserve. “Artificial trees are often imported from thousands of miles away utilizing fossil fuels to be transported and when the trees wear out they ultimately end up in a landfill. Recycled fresh cut trees are returned to nature as mulch, helping to beautify our local parks.”
Assisting Las Vegans with tree pick up, 1-800-GOT-JUNK will come by your home between the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning December 26 through January 15. For $30 they will remove your tree and vacuum up all pine needles in your home. Trees will be dropped off at one of the designated recycling drop off points. Customers can call 1-800-468-5865 (1-800-GOT-JUNK)
In addition to focusing the efforts of Las Vegas residents, with the help of tree lot operator Linda Maplethorpe, the Christmas Tree Recycling Program is placing special attention on tree lot and retail operators by asking them to recycle unsold trees.
All donated trees will be chipped into rich organic material to be used at public gardens and parks across the valley including the Springs Preserve, City of Henderson parks, Clark County parks and City of North Las Vegas parks. As the mulch decomposes, it will provide many nutrients that plants need to remain healthy and conserve soil moisture.
Before dropping trees off, all non-organic material such as lights, ornaments, wires, tinsel and nails must be removed as foreign objects contaminate the mulch and damage the chipper. Flocked (sprayed artificial snow covered) trees cannot be recycled. Cut Christmas trees may be dropped off at any of the following locations:
Acacia Park
50 Casa Del Fuego
Henderson
Aviary Park
6650 Aviary Way
North Las Vegas (Aliante)
Carl’s Jr. Parking Lot
607 W. Craig Road
North Las Vegas
Cheyenne Sports Complex
3500 E. Cheyenne
North Las Vegas
Mission Hills Park
551 Mission Drive
Henderson
Morrell Park
500 Harris St. (at Basic Road)
Henderson
NV Division of Forestry Nursery
In Floyd Lamb State Park
9600 Tule Springs Road
(US 95 N at Durrango)
R.C. Willey
3850 S. Town Center Drive (at 215)
Summerlin
Springs Preserve
333 S. Valley View
Las Vegas
Sunset Park
2601 E. Sunset
Las Vegas
Whitney Ranch Recreation Center
1575 Galleria Drive
Henderson
Christmas Tree Recycling Program Partners
The Christmas Tree Recycling program is a partnership throughout the valley between the following organizations:
For more information, contact the Springs Preserve at 702.822.7705 or visit springspreserve.org.
