City Offers 14 Sites for Free Recycling of Christmas Trees

The city of Los Angeles will have 14 drop-off sites for Christmas tree recycling, beginning Saturday, for residents who do not have curbside collection. The free sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and Jan. 12 and 13.

“The sites are intended for apartment dwellers or for people who don’t have room in their green container,” said Robert O. Reed of the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. “Rather than leave it at the curb, which is a fire hazard, we ask them to take it to one of the sites.”

There are two new drop-off sites this year. Boyle Heights residents may take their Christmas trees to the Hollenbeck Recreation Center at 415 S. St. Louis St. In Venice, trees may be dropped off at the Oakwood Recreation Center, 767 California Ave.

The dozen existing locations that have been operating since the Christmas tree recycling program started in 1990 are:

* Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino.

* Branford Park, 13300 Branford St., Arleta.

* Chatsworth Park South, 22360 Devonshire St., Chatsworth.

* Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Ave., Rancho Park.

* Harbor Regional Park, 25820 Vermont Ave., Harbor City.

* Highland Park Senior Citizen’s Center, 6200 York Blvd., Highland Park.

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

* Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park.

* Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, 5001 Rodeo Road, Crenshaw District.

* South Park, 345 E. 51st St., South Los Angeles.

* Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd., Sunland.

* Westchester Municipal Building, 7166 W. Manchester Ave., Westchester.

Residents with curbside collection must remove all decorations, tinsel and the stand, and cut the trees in half before putting them in the green containers. The trees will be turned into mulch and used as ground covering on city street medians, parks and golf courses.

For more information on the tree recycling program, call the 24-hour hotline at (800) 587-3356.