The lights, garland and ornaments are back in the boxes, and all that is left is the barren Christmas tree in the living room.
Here’s how to get rid of that empty tree and other holiday trash.
Johnson County offers a variety of pick up and drop off services for residents to recycle their live Christmas trees and some wrapping paper after the holidays.
The Johnson County Recycling District will once again open up locations for anyone in the county to drop off their live trees. Starting today until Jan. 13, residents can drop off trees at one of the four places throughout the county for free.
For wrapping paper, as long as the paper does not have any metallic, velvet or glitter material, it can be recycled using the regular paper recycling service. All bows and ribbons must be removed before recycling. The county does not offer a service to recycle cardboard from gift boxes.
Last year, the recycling district collected more than 750 trees. The only restrictions are the trees must be live trees and stripped of all decorations. The recycling district also asks that only residents, not businesses, drop off trees.
Recycling trees after the holidays is important to because old trees can be reused for many natural uses instead of sitting in a landfill, Education and Outreach Coordinator Kea Deppe said.
"They are completely compostable, they can be used for mulching," Deppe said. "It’s better than leaving them to sit in a landfill."
For those who can’t fit the tree in the car to drop it off somewhere, local Boy Scouts are offering a tree disposal service in different areas of the county.
Franklin-based Boy Scout Troop 228 will pick up Christmas trees for the second year in a row. Last year, the group started the service to collect donations for a new trailer, troop mom Kelly Strain said. This year, the troop will be picking up trees for donations to buy equipment for the new trailer, such as a logo for the front and shelves for the inside.
The troop will pick up trees Dec. 29 and Jan. 5 in Franklin, parts of Bargersville, Whiteland and southern Greenwood. Pickups must be scheduled in advance by email or phone. A donation is suggested.
Strain said the boys in the troop enjoyed doing the tree pickup last year.
"They were out there with their hats and gloves having a great time," she said.
For Greenwood residents, the city street department will also offer a tree pickup service today until Jan 18.
The city will also recycle cardboard items from gift boxes or packages. The cardboard must be dropped off at a location in the containers provided by the trash service. As of right now, only one location in the city has a cardboard recycling bin, Street Superintendent Kenny Duncan said.
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Here are the organizations where you can recycle your Christmas tree.
Johnson County Recycling District
When: Today through Jan. 13
Cost: Free
Locations:
- Johnson County Fairgrounds, 250 Fairground St., Franklin (Leave trees across from Purdue Extension office on grass)
- Center Grove High School, 2717 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood (Leave trees near tennis courts and baseball diamond)
- Indian Creek Intermediate School, 100 S. Indian Creek Drive, Trafalgar (Leave trees near the southwest corner by the football field)
- McCarty Mulch, 100 Bluffdale Road, Greenwood
Boy Scout Troop 228 Curbside Pickup
When: Dec. 29 and Jan. 5
Cost: A $10 to $20 donation
Location: Trees can be picked up on the curb outside your house.
Contact: [email protected] or 317-720-1101
Contact the troop beforehand to schedule a pickup time. Trees must be out by the curb by 8 a.m. on the day of the pickup.
City of Greenwood Street Department
When: today to through Jan. 18
Cost: Free
Where: Leave trees on the curb outside your house for pickup.
For pickup after Jan. 18, the regular city brush pickup will continue to collect trees, if needed.
Cardboard items:
Drop off in the container at the Greenwood city parking lot located on West Pearl Street east of Madison Avenue, directly across from 202 W. Pearl St.
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