Cities Encourage Recycling of Yule Trees

Ah, the life of a Christmas tree. It’s the centerpiece of the year’s most celebrated holiday--only to end up in a trash heap.

But throwing away Christmas trees in the environmentally correct ‘90s is an unconscionable faux pas.

And burning them in the fireplace is just as bad. Santa Monica Fire Inspector Lee Seaton said: “We don’t recommend that anybody chop and burn their trees because they are highly flammable and burn at extreme heat. If your chimney has a buildup of combustible materials, you could cause a chimney fire.” To say nothing about adding to the air pollution.

Consider the facts. Grinding up discarded trees achieves in 90 days what it takes nature nine years to accomplish. The task is fairly simple and it bears some personal fruits: mulch made from the tree, tree seedlings, even discount movie tickets. Not to mention a guilt-free conscience that comes with knowing your tree is not responsible for stealing precious landfill space.

Residents of Westside cities are asked to strip the trees of ornaments and stands before depositing them for recycling.

* Santa Monica: The city’s recycling department will be sponsoring its fourth annual tree recycling program this Saturday and a week later, on Jan. 9. Residents this year can bring in their dead Christmas trees in exchange for a deodar cedar seedling.

The tree exchange will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following locations: Clover Park at 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Douglas Park at Chelsea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, Los Amigos Park at 5th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, and Lincoln Park at 1130 Lincoln Blvd.

Trees will be taken to a facility where they will be shredded and recycled as a soil amendment or used as fuel by power companies. The city sanitation department says that residents who want their Christmas trees recycled should not leave them curbside with their trash and regular recyclables. For more information, call (310) 458-8526.

* Los Angeles: Westside residents of Los Angeles can take their trees to Cheviot Hills Recreation Center at 2551 Motor Ave. beginning Saturday through Jan. 9. In exchange for used Christmas trees, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation will give residents discount movie tickets to see “Tropical Rain Forest” at the California Museum of Science and Industry’s IMAX Theater, and coupons for mulch and azalea mix made from Christmas trees sent through the chipper.

Hollywood residents can drop off their trees at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave.

Residents who don’t want to be bothered with taking their trees anywhere can leave them curbside if they have automated trash pickup the week of Jan. 11, but coupons will be available only at the drop-off site. For more information, call (800) 773-2489.

* Culver City: The city’s waste reduction department will be “treecycling” for the fourth year at Culver City Park at Duquesne Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard until mid-January. Residents can place their Christmas trees next to large bins in the first level parking lot.

Residents of single-family homes may place trees curbside on their regular trash collection days. Condominium and apartment dwellers whose units are in residential parts of Culver City can do the same.

The trees will be taken to the Puente Hills Landfill, where they will be composted or used as a landfill cover. They are a more effective landfill cover than dirt, according to recycling experts. For more information, call (310) 280-5950.

* Beverly Hills: The city will be picking up trees along with regular trash pickups until Jan. 15. Trees will be taken to the Puente Hills Landfill for recycling. For more information, call (310)285-2433.

* West Hollywood: The city’s environmental division is sponsoring a curbside Christmas tree collection. Single-family residences and apartment complexes with four or fewer units can leave their trees out for curbside pick-up on Monday or on Jan. 11, 18 or 25. Trees will be collected curbside Monday through Jan. 15 from apartment and condominium complexes with five or more units.

The trees will be ground into wood chips and mulch that the city intends to use as a soil amendment, according to Kevin Hendrick, manager of the city’s environmental division. For more information, call (800) 854-7404.

* Pacific Palisades: The Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, Rapidway Disposal and Community United Way Church are sponsoring a tree recycling program until Jan. 11.

Palisades residents can take their trees to the parking lot of the Community United Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz, where a large bin will be set up for them.

* Malibu: The city and the Los Angeles County Bureau of Sanitation is sponsoring a tree recycling program until Jan. 16. Residents may deposit their trees in bins that will be placed at Civic Center Way between Cross Creek and Webb Way, and in Point Dume at Heather Cliff and Pacific Coast Highway. The city requests that residents put the trees in the Aladdin Rubbish and Los Virgenes Disposal receptacles, not in city of Malibu recycling bins.