Don’t toss that tree: Tucson’s TreeCycle Program turns Christmas trees into mulch

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Don't know what to do with your Christmas tree after the holidays? The City of Tucson has a solution: TreeCycle.

Instead of taking your tree to a landfill, you can help the environment by participating in the city's TreeCycle Program. The process is simple – remove everything from the tree including the stand, ornaments, tinsel, lights and any other decorations. Once it's bare, you can drop it off at one of the 10 designated sites throughout Pima County so they can be repurposed.

Alyssa Tarpley, Public Information Specialist for the City of Tucson Environmental Services Department, says it's an opportunity to reuse the trees instead of letting them becoming carbon gas emissions.

"Instead, they're being removed from our landfill and being remade into a compost or mulch for our community," Alyssa Tarpley said.

She says in 20424, more than 26 tons of Christmas trees were collected and reused.

"So all those trees were then grinded and then made into mulch, combined with our food waste from our FoodCycle at Home Program, and then combined with the green waste mix nutrient rich composts," Tarpley said. "So those brown materials and the green materials all create compost and then it's not soil, it's a soil amendment, so it actually helps your plants grow."

There are 10 locations throughout Pima County where you can drop off your tree. One of them is at Todd Harris Sports Complex in midtown.

Trees will not be picked up in front of your home.

"We encourage tree pool. If you have a truck and you know you have some neighbors that have trees as well. Why don't you offer your truck bed, load up their trees as well, and then you can drop them all off," Tarpley said. "It's saving, you know, one less car on the road and then more trees that are getting recycled."

Besides trees, it's important to recycle other items properly. Make sure no foil, bows or metallic papers go into your recycling bin.

The TreeCycle Program runs from December 26 through January 19.

Find the list of drop-off locations here.

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