Christmas trees for sale at The Wildes in late November. The Wildes is a tree farm and community space that opened this holiday season in Trafalgar.
Daily Journal file photo
With the presents unwrapped and the carols sung, Johnson County residents have a few ways to discard their Christmas trees following the holiday.
There are two ways to recycle Christmas trees throughout the county. Some cities and towns offer curbside tree pickup.
McCarty Mulch
The 15-year tradition of recycling trees is continuing at McCarty Mulch and Stone, 100 Bluffdale Road, Greenwood.
The business is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, when Christmas and New Year’s Day are observed. Owner Josh McCarty said people can also drop off trees after hours, by following signs that will be up with directions to the drop off site.
Christmas trees should be completely undecorated when they are dropped off, he said.
“We will end up running these trees through a chipper machine and it helps so we won’t have maintenance issues or plugging up the chipper with some of those items,” McCarty said. “If you were to chip tinsel or lights with the trees, you can imagine some of the mess that can make.”
Recycling trees is better for the environment, he said.
“It’s a great partnership between us and the community and we appreciate the residents who can bring them to our location,” McCarty said. “We will recycle them into a quality, sustainable mulch product, reducing the likelihood of them ending up in a landfill.”
The business will collect trees through the end of January, McCarty said.
Troop 228
People who want to recycle their Christmas trees while also donating to a cause can have Boy Scout Troop 228 stop by to collect them. Tips left for tree collectors will help pay for camping gear, such as tents and cooking supplies, camping fees and the awards given to scouts. The Franklin-based troop has conducted the tree-collecting fundraiser for the past five years, and raised more than $500 from it last year, said Keith Karnes, assistant scoutmaster.
“One of the scout parents has a farm outside of town and we take (the trees) and pile them out there,” he said. “In the spring, when they’re dried out, we have a bonfire and burn them and that ash goes back into the soil. It becomes a circle of life thing.”
The suggested donation amount is $20, although any amount will be accepted. Johnson County residents who need their trees picked up can fill out an online form including their name, address, phone or email, location of the tree and where they left their donation. Tree-givers will also be able to select their preferred pick-up date, either Dec. 31 or Jan. 7, although they can request another date if necessary. People should leave their trees out by 8 a.m. the morning of the pickup, said Marybeth Gomez, troop committee secretary.
Municipal options
Greenwood residents can leave their trees at their curbs as long as they are on the city’s trash service. City personnel will do a round of pickups on Dec. 27 and will have some pickups during the first few weeks of January, with pick-up dates dependent on the weather, said Kenny Duncan, the city’s street superintendent.
As long as they are left on the curb, they will be picked up, usually within a few days, he said.
“We want them to be free of all stands and decorations, we only pick up what was a live tree,” Duncan said. “We have had people in the past put out an artificial tree. We don’t pick up artificial trees.”
Residents living in unincorporated Johnson County and smaller municipalities, such as Bargersville and New Whiteland, do not have town-run Christmas tree pickups, so residents will have to recycle their trees with an outside group, such as the Boy Scout troop or McCarty Mulch.
Officials from Franklin, Trafalgar, Whiteland and Edinburgh did not respond by deadline. Residents of those places should contact their municipal government or street department to ask about their tree recycling options.
The Johnson County Recycling District stopped collecting trees two years ago because of limited staffing and rising costs. Another environmentally friendly alternative to putting Christmas trees in landfills is to leave trees in a natural setting outside, such as a backyard, said Jessie Biggerman, the recycling district’s executive director.
“They can turn into a bird habitat and small animal habitat and compost themselves,” she said.
HOW TO RECYCLE YOUR TREE
Greenwood: Curbside tree collection starting Dec. 27 and continuing through January.
Franklin: Call 317-736-3660 for information
Edinburgh: Call 812-526-3525 for information
Trafalgar: Call 317-878-5194 for information
Whiteland: Call 317-535-6359 for information
Bargersville, New Whiteland and unincorporated Johnson County: no municipal pickups
McCarty Mulch and Stone, 100 Bluffdale Drive, Greenwood: Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Call 317-751-5956 for more information.
Boy Scout Troop 228: Collecting trees starting at 8 a.m. on Dec. 31 and Jan. 7. Fill out a Google form online form for tree pickup.
