COUNTYWIDE : Yule ‘Treecycling’ Called a Success

A new countywide program to “give the Earth a gift” of recycled Christmas trees is living up to expectations, officials said Monday.

“For the first year, we’re doing fantastic,” said Lorraine Timmons of the Ventura County Solid Waste Management Department.

The total number of evergreen trees pulverized into water-saving ground cover will be calculated after the recycling program ends this weekend, Timmons said.

Drop-off centers will be open Friday, Saturday or Sunday in most communities around the county. Residents can leave their trees free of charge. Several waste-hauling companies are continuing curbside tree collection with this week’s regular trash service.

In Ventura County, an estimated 90,000 cut evergreens are thrown away each year. Before the “Treecycling” program kicked off last month, most trees ended up in landfills, Timmons said.

The program is a joint effort of several county agencies, the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, various cities, local businesses and volunteers who have donated their services or funds for brochures and other program costs.

Becky Radonich, Camarillo’s recycling coordinator, said this was the first year the city has offered curbside tree collection or a drop-off recycling center for residents.

About 600 trees were collected from Camarillo curbs in three days last week, and residents dropped 1,100 trees at the collection center last weekend, she said.

Trees run through the five large brush chippers used for the program must be shorn of all ornaments, tinsel, nails and metal supports. Trees more than 6 feet tall must be cut in half for curbside collection. Chemically treated trees that are flocked, painted or fireproofed cannot be accepted for mulch material.

The mulch of shredded boughs is being used for landscaping in county parks and Lake Casitas Recreation Area, but some may be available later for local landscapers and residents, officials said.

For information on collection dates and times, residents may call their local recycling coordinator or refuse hauling company.