Recycling of Christmas Trees Pushed

Ah, Christmas trees in January, those withered brown barometers of plummeting post-holiday spirits, shedding piles of pine needles like the tears of a parent who spent too much on presents.

Drag one of those babies out to the curb for a garbage truck to haul away and chalk up another environmental sin. But cart it to one of Los Angeles County’s 12 Christmas tree recycling centers and you’ll be the proud owner of a clean conscience as well as goodies worth $13.99.

To encourage recycling, the county will give each tree owner a coupon for a free, half-cubic-foot bag of Kellogg mulch or soil amendment (worth $1.99 and redeemable at 23 local nurseries).

The county will also give away discount tickets to Universal Studio Tours. The tickets are worth $3 off the price of admission per person for a maximum discount of $12 for a party of four, said Kathi Delegal, spokeswoman for the county Department of Public Works.

The trees will be recycled into wood chips, saving valuable landfill space as required by state law, Delegal said. The chips will be used primarily as ground cover at local parks.

The 2-year-old program will cost the county about $100,000 this year, Delegal said. The centers, three of which are in or near the San Fernando and surrounding valleys, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 2, 8 and 9. They are:

* Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood.

* George Lane Park, 5520 W. Ave. L-8, Quartz Hill.

* William S. Hart Park, 24151 Newhall Ave., Santa Clarita.

For information on the county program, call (800) 552-5218.

The city of Los Angeles is also sponsoring a Christmas tree recycling program, with two locations in the San Fernando Valley. They are Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd., and Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino.

Residents who drop off trees Dec. 31, Jan. 2, 7, 8 and 9 will receive the coupon from Kellogg Fertilizer Co., but no discount tickets to Universal Studios. For information, call (800) 773-CITY.