When the holidays have passed, none of us want to see all those beautiful fresh-cut Christmas trees end their stories in a landfill. With help from local Boy Scouts and Wasteline – Omaha’s solid waste program – you can recycle your fresh-cut tree to ensure that it continues to benefit our environment and our community. Here are two easy ways to make that happen – plus a beneficial way to get rid of old holiday lights too.
Drop Your Tree Off for Recycling
On the Wasteline website, you’ll find several drop-off locations across the metro area ready to receive your fresh-cut tree – including Tranquility Park, right across the street from our store. Simply pull up and toss your tree on the pile anytime between December 24th and January 11th. If you need assistance when dropping off your tree, volunteers from the Rotary Club and the Douglas-Sarpy County Master Gardeners can help on select dates at the Tranquility Park and F Street Football Field locations.
Just be sure the tree is completely free of all plastic bags, wires, lights, hooks, ornaments, and other materials – because after its life as a holiday tradition, your tree will be ground into finer material and included in the city’s composting program. Next year, your tree will live on to nourish future gardens as a nutritious soil amendment.
Let the Scouts Pick it Up
You can also help members of Scouts BSA – the new name for Boy Scouts of America – develop organization, communication, and leadership skills by having the scouts pick up your tree and deliver it to a metro drop-off site for you. Simply visit the Scouting for Trees website to schedule a pick-up date.
Robert Austin, a leader from Troop 282 in Gretna, says the Scouts are passionate about keeping as many trees as possible out of the landfill. There, conditions inhibit natural decomposition of the tree, leading to the release of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. With your help, the Scouts hope to recycle around 7,000 Christmas trees again this year.
And again, be sure to remove all plastic and metal from the tree because in addition to the trees that are used to create compost, some of the trees will have another exciting purpose. Last year, the Scouts delivered about a hundred trees to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium to be enjoyed as browse and enrichment material by some of their animals. Robert tells us that this year, Scouts will deliver trees to both the Omaha and Lincoln zoos, as well as the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari just off Interstate 80 near Ashland, Nebraska. The Scouts take this project seriously, and their goal to make sure every tree they collect is able to make a positive contribution to our environment and our community.
Photos by Scouting for Trees
But What About the Lights?
Broken strings of holiday lights are another environmentally unfriendly material that doesn’t belong in a landfill, and fortunately there’s an exciting solution for that too. Each year, Scrap Central, Inc. in Omaha recycles the copper found in broken string lights and donates the proceeds to a local community partner. This year, funds from their Holiday Light Drive go to support Lincoln and Omaha Firefighters’ Operation Warm, which provides new warm coats and other winter essentials for kids in our area. Simply drop your old lights in the collection box at Scrap Central, Inc. by January 15th to participate in this year’s program.
A New Life for a Beautiful Tree
After spending time in your home, your beautiful tree – and even the lights that were once on it – can continue to support our community after the holidays. Thank you for helping us make Omaha a more beautiful, healthy, and sustainable place to live.
