Christmas trees are ready for disposal in years past. Christmas tree recycling looks a little different this year.
Christmas tree recycling will look a little different this year, but it is still an option.
There are several locations where Johnson County residents can dispose of their Christmas trees once the presents are unwrapped and the holiday is over. But instead of a centralized location collecting trees, residents will have to turn to their local cities and towns.
The Johnson County Recycling District, a countywide agency that collected trees to turn into mulch prior to this year, is not offering that service this year due to rising costs and staffing shortages, said Jessie Biggerman, executive director.
One challenge that arose came from people not properly undressing their trees. Any lights, ornaments and tinsel must be removed from trees before recycling, she said.
“We’re limited in manpower,” Biggerman said. “People don’t necessarily listen to how they have to properly dispose of trees. No bags, tinsel or lights. The tree should basically be naked when they put it to the curb or drop it off at our sites. … There’s the cost of collecting and chipping the trees. We pay a general cost because we estimate based on what we’ve received and that cost has continuously increased.”
Instead, people can turn to McCarty Mulch and Stone, a mulch supplier in Greenwood, or their local street departments to recycle their trees, she said.
McCarty Mulch will be open Monday to collect trees and most business days after that through the month of January, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., said Josh McCarty, owner.
“There’s no charge for Christmas tree recycling,” he said. “We will turn it into a reusable, recyclable mulch product like pathway mulch. It’s not only good for the environment, but if customers want to come in in the spring and put mulch in the woods or around pine trees, we make reusable mulch product.”
McCarty Mulch is the designated tree recycler for unincorporated Johnson County, as well as Trafalgar, according to a news release from the Johnson County Recycling District.
Edinburgh’s street department will collect trees starting Monday from people’s curbs and driveways, provided they are stripped off all materials and are not artificial trees, said Clark McCollum, Edinburgh’s street superintendent.
Pickup there will continue through Jan. 14, according to the county’s recycling district.
Greenwood residents can leave their trees at their curbs as long as they are on the city’s trash service. City personnel will pick up trees starting next week, and residents are advised to leave their trees at their curbs Sunday evenings for the following week’s pick up, said Kenny Duncan, street superintendent.
Franklin residents can also leave their trees curbside, according to the recycling district.
Bargersville residents should contact their trash hauler, and Whiteland and New Whiteland residents can have their trees collected on regular tree limb pick-up days, the recycling district says.
