Recycle Your Christmas Trees

We've only ever had fake plastic trees for Christmas - which, invariably, stay up till August - but those of you with giant pinetrees rotting away in your living rooms might consider dropping them off at Zilker Park. Come mid-January, they'll be recycling the lot and grinding them into mulch, which you can then get ahold of for free. But exercise some caution when handling the fetid fertilizers, says the City of Austin:

Christmas trees that are dropped off at Zilker Park will be ground up as mulch. This mulch is usually available by mid-January courtesy of the Parks and Recreation Department. The mulch is available free of charge on a first-come-first-service basis and is strictly for private use. Individuals picking up mulch should bring their own bags and equipment. Park personnel will not be available to assist loading.

The Parks and Recreation staff recommends that the mulch be placed in a compost pile for several months. The mulch is “green” and the decay process causes it to get very hot. If the mulch is applied without a waiting period it may damage areas where it is spread.

The drop-off at the Polo Picnic Area is open these next two weekends. Other options you might consider:

Travis County: Open from Tuesday, December 27, 2005, to Sunday, January 8, 2006.

* Travis County Satellite Yard #1, Johnny Morris Road, 1/2 mile south of Highway 290 East.
* Del Valle Softball Complex, Behind the Southwest Rural Center
* RM 620 Low Water Crossing, Low Water Crossing Road
* Manchaca Fire Hall, 1310 FM 1626
* TDS - Eco Depot, RM 620, East of Highway 71. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Waste Management: Open from Monday, December 26, 2005, to Tuesday, January 10, 2006. 9900 Giles Road, off of Highway 290 East. Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Zilker Park Christmas Tree Recycling
Polo Picnic Area
December 31, 2005, January 7-8, 2006
10am to 4pm

* image from http://library2.nalis.gov.tt/