The gifts are all gone, the decorations and lights are off. Now what?
Johnson County residents have a couple options to dispose of their live Christmas trees.
Johnson County residents who don’t want their Christmas trees to end up in a local landfill can make sure they are recycled, either through a local Boy Scout troop, a recycling organization or by the City of Greenwood.
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Boy Scout Troop 228 in Franklin is in its third year of collecting Christmas trees from outside homes in hopes of raising money for a concrete slab that will serve as a parking space for its trailer.
The Troop raised about $600 in donations when it picked up and recycled 22 trees last year, and it hopes to build on those totals this winter.
The troop will collect trees on Saturday and Jan. 4, said Kelly Strain, who has children in the troop.
People who want their natural trees picked up can email or call the troop to schedule a pickup with at least two days’ notice. The troop only accepts live trees. The trees can’t be flocked or have nails or tinsel, she said.
Boy Scout Troop 228 has about 20 members, and most participate in the annual tree collection. After members of the Boy Scout Troop collect the trees, they will take them to a farm owned by one of the scout’s parents. The trees will be turned into mulch or used as firewood, Strain said.
The Troop hopes to raise the $2,500 to $3,000 it still needs for the concrete slab. What it doesn’t collect through collecting Christmas trees, it will collect through other fundraisers, such as selling popcorn and dine-and-donate events at area restaurants. During the Johnson County Fair, Bleke’s Body Shop gives some of its parking fee money to the Troop, she said.
The Johnson County Recycling District will continue to pay for trees to be recycled, as it has been doing every year for at least a decade, said Jessie Biggerman, executive director.
People can drop off their trees at four separate locations from today to Jan. 12: The Johnson County Fairgrounds, Center Grove High School, McCarty Mulch and Indian Creek Intermediate School. During the week after Jan. 12, McDaniel’s Tree Service will collect the trees and turn them into mulch, she said.
Last year, people left about 1,400 trees to be recycled. As is the case with the Boy Scout Troop, only natural trees without tinsel or any decorations are allowed, Biggerman said.
“This gives people a way to properly dispose; many communities don’t have that as an available collection,” Biggerman said. “When you do recycle a tree, you are able to give it back to the Earth because it uses the mulch and decomposition.”
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Here are the organizations where you can recycle your Christmas tree.
Johnson County Recycling District
When: Today through Jan. 12
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: Saturday and Jan. 4
Cost: A $10 to $20 donation
Location: Trees can be picked up on the curb outside your house.
Contact: [email protected] or 317-560-4016
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.
Greenwood Street Department
When: January
Where: Curbside in Greenwood city limits
Cost: Free
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