‘Treecycling’ the holiday arbor

Now that the presents have been unwrapped and half the needles have fallen off the conifer that has been sitting in your living room for about a month, it’s time to discard it.

Kitsap County will once again be offering its “Treecycling” services to residents who want to recycle their Christmas trees between Dec. 26 and Jan. 9.

Treecycling has become a tradition for Kitsap County residents, as far back as 1992, said public works spokesman Doug Bear. Last year, residents recycled more than 2,800 Christmas trees, which were then used as chipped mulch in a variety of landscape projects. Residents living near the chipping areas can request woodchips but quantities are limited. A request form can be found at the county’s Web site at www.kitsapgov.com/sw/treecycle.htm

“It’s been a really popular program with residents,” Bear said, adding that the staff hasn’t come across any disastrous experiences, such as have unprepared trees. “I think people who take the time to recycle take the time prepare their trees right.”

Residents are reminded to remove all nails, tinsel, lights and ornaments before bringing in a tree. Flocked trees can be potentially harmful to the environment and cannot be accepted.

Trees can be brought to the following locations in the North End:

• Hansville Drop Box

Facility

8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday-

Monday (Closes at 2 p.m.

Dec. 31)

• Poulsbo Recycle Center

8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday-

Saturday (Closes at 2 p.m.

Dec. 31)

• City of Poulsbo

Public Works

710 Iverson, Poulsbo

(Poulsbo residents only)

From 7 a.m. to 3:30 pm,

Jan. 6-7 only

For more information, call the public works open line at (360) 337-5777.

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