After the confetti is cleaned up from New Year’s Eve parties and holiday lights are taken down, there’s one piece of seasonal decor left.
What does one do with the Christmas tree that’s now dropping dead needles all over the living room floor?
Recycling and disposal locations from Forks to Port Townsend will collect trees in January to grind as mulch — and to keep the trees out of landfills.
Clallam County
Residents of the city of Port Angeles can put out Christmas trees for curbside pickup during their regular yard waste collection days next week, Monday through Friday.
Residents who are not yard waste subscribers but who want their tree picked up must phone Waste Connections at 360-452-7278 to arrange for removal.
A minimum yard waste fee of $5 will be charged for trees hauled to the Transfer Station/Compost Facility.
Trees should cleared of tinsel, flocking and ornaments, and should be cut into 4-foot sections, bundled and put out alongside yard waste containers.
Those trees that still have tinsel, flocking or ornaments will be shipped to Roosevelt Landfill in Eastern Washington rather than being recycled into compost.
Recycled trees are mixed with other yard debris and made into Garden Glory Compost.
The city sells the compost for $20 a cubic yard for lots of 1 to 3 yards — less per cubic yard for larger lots.
County residents can dispose of trees from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays in the yard debris area of the Regional Transfer Station at 3501 W. 18th St.
Trees cut into 4-foot sections will be picked up on regular trash pickup days, but recycling is not included for county residents.
Agnew
There’s another option for Port Angeles and Sequim-area residents who don’t want to wait for curbside pickup or who live outside the city limits.
Lazy J Tree Farm offers free tree recycling for any and all trees, not just those that were purchased at the tree farm.
The farm is at 225 Gehrke Road in Agnew, off Old Olympic Highway between Port Angeles and Sequim.
The trees are ground and made into compost, which can be purchased at the farm.
A video of the farm’s tree-grinding operation is available at www.lazyjtreefarms.com.
Sequim
Those in Sequim can enlist the Boy Scouts for tree pickup.
Boy Scout Troop 1498 is providing a Christmas tree pickup service for recycling trees Jan. 9.
The cost of the pickup is a suggested $15 donation. Donations fund troop activities.
To schedule a tree pickup, phone 360-775-8074.
Forks
In Forks, West Waste & Recycling Inc. will pick up trees with regular curbside trash service, or residents can drop trees at the transfer station between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 272 La Push Road.
It is not required for trees to be cut before disposal, said Brent Gagnon, owner of West Waste.
There is no charge for Christmas tree recycling, Gagnon said.
Jefferson County
Within the city of Port Townsend, customers can place their trees out for regular yard waste pickup throughout next week, from Monday through Friday, as well as the week of Jan. 19.
Trees will be recycled into mulch.
If the tree is more than 4 feet tall, it must be cut into smaller sections for pickup.
Trees with flocking or tinsel will be taken as garbage, and customers will be charged extra accordingly, city officials said.
County residents can have their trees picked up for $7.48 each and disposed as trash.
Trees from county pickups will not be recycled.
For more information, phone DM Disposal at 360-385-6612.
For a fee of $5, any county resident can take trees to the yard waste drop-off and compost purchase area of the Jefferson County Transfer Station on South Jacob Miller Road off state Highway 20.
The yard waste disposal area is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, except holidays.
Trees need to be clean. All tinsel, ornaments and wooden stands must be removed prior to recycling.
The trees will be ground up and made into compost.
For more information, phone the compost facility at 360-385-7908.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
