IF YOU GO* What: “Bring one for the Chipper” Christmas tree recycling* Where: Home Depot on Shugart Road, Dalton, Ga.* When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday* Cost: FreeSource: Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority* What: “Chipping of the Green” Christmas tree recycling* When: Through Jan. 9* Where: Bradley County Landfill: 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday* Urbane Road Recycling Center: 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday* Peerless Road Recycling Center: 1-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday* Cost: FreeSource: Bradley County Mayor’s OfficeOTHER WAYS TO RECYCLEThe Dalton Public Works Department will collect trees from at the curbside. Residents should call 706-278-7077 for pick-up.All Whitfield County Convenience Centers (MLK, McGaughey Chapel and Westside) and the Old Dixie Highway Landfill have drop-off locations that accept and recycle yard debris throughout the year.Source: Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste AuthorityON THE WEBVisit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org to find a tree recycling location near you.
DALTON, Ga. — The Dalton Public Works Department collected its first Christmas trees the day after Christmas, but tree recycling could continue into early spring, officials said.
“We might pick up a Christmas tree in April,” said Reece Carroll, manager of Dalton’s Public Works Department.
Dalton is one of several Georgia cities participating in the statewide “Bring One for the Chipper” campaign to encourage Christmas tree recycling.
Since its inception in 1991, the campaign has recycled more than 4.8 million Christmas trees, according to the state of Georgia Web site.
Liz Swafford, executive director for Keep Dalton-Whitfield County Beautiful, which sponsors part of the statewide campaign, said she wants to see 700 trees recycled in Whitfield County by winter’s end.
Ms. Swafford hopes Dalton residents will bring 250 trees to Home Depot for recycling on Friday, the day when a chipper at the store will turn Christmas trees into mulch.
Residents dropping off Christmas trees will receive a free redbud, dogwood or crape myrtle tree seedling or vegetable, herb or wildflower seeds, according to news reports.
Tennessee residents are also longtime participants in efforts to recycle Christmas trees.
City of Cleveland Public Works Director Tommy Myers said he doesn’t keep count of how many Christmas trees are recycled, but the city has had a year-round recycling since the early 1990s, he said.
In Cleveland, Christmas trees can be recycled through Jan. 9 either at the county recycling center on Urbane Road or the county landfill on Natures Trail.
In Dalton, Mr. Carroll said he’s picked up about 26 Christmas trees in the past week for recycling. But that’s less than he remembers picking up at least 10 years ago and that could be because more people are buying artificial trees, he said.
Purchasing and recycling real Christmas trees saves the environment and supports local business, Ms. Swafford said.
Unlike plastic trees that are sometimes made overseas, live Christmas trees are produced on farms usually located no more than two hours away from the buyer, Ms. Swafford said.
“You’re supporting local U.S. jobs and the farming industry,” she said.
Buying live Christmas trees also promotes better health, she said. Live Christmas trees pull carbon dioxide out of the air she said.
“One tree can absorb over a ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime,” she said.