Environment News

Boise City, Ada County Team Up

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

By Jill Kuraitis, 12-27-06

The City of Boise, Ada County and other cities around the valley are working together to make sure Christmas trees aren't wasted through a major recycling effort at the Ada County Landfill.

Boise residents and those living in most of the cities around Ada County can recycle their cut Christmas trees by putting them out with their garbage on their normal trash pickup days. Instructions and individual city requirements are listed below. Residents who miss their tree pick-up, or those who may want to dispose of their trees before their regularly scheduled trash day, may take their Christmas tree directly to the Ada County Hidden Hollow Landfill. Trees will be accepted at the landfill free of charge between now and January 20th.

"Hidden Hollow Landfill," of course, is the highfalutin' way of saying The Dump.

“Christmas trees take up valuable space at the landfill. This type of material is a great recyclable resource for future use in landscaping, animal bedding and even used to create energy,” said Catherine Chertudi with the Environmental Division of the City of Boise Public Works Department. “There’s no reason to send usable material to landfill as trash. Plus saving landfill space ultimately saves taxpayers money, too.”

“The Christmas Tree Recycling Program is a great example of several diversion programs currently in place at the Ada County Landfill,” said Dave Neal, Ada County Solid Waste Management Director. “This year, Ada County successfully diverted 79-million pounds of wood waste from going into the landfill. Ultimately, the county’s year-long wood recycling effort helped save space in the landfill equivalent to 1,374 semi-trailers – space that can now be used for trash that can not be recycled.”

Instructions for curbside tree pick-up are simple. Trees must be free of all decorations (including tinsel and any spray-on gunk), have no tree stand attached, and be cut into four-foot lengths. Trash haulers also ask residents to set their trees just a few feet away from their trash cans since trees are picked up by a separate truck.

Trees hauled directly to the landfill must also be 100% decoration-free but they do not have to be cut into four-foot sections. (Note: The landfill will be closed on New Years Day.)

Here’s a listing of the dates and specific tree recycling information for Ada County and cities around the valley:

• Ada County – County residents with trash service can leave trees for curbside pickup from January 2nd – January 12th on regular trash collection days. Or any Ada County resident or Christmas tree lot owner can take their own trees to the Hidden Hollow Landfill, 10300 N. Seaman’s Gulch Road, free of charge until January 20th, 2007. There is no size limit on trees brought to the landfill.
• Allied Waste Transfer Station – Located at 4485 S Curtis Road, the transfer station will have separate drop-off boxes for City of Boise and Ada County residents until January 20th.
• Boise – Curbside pickup from January 2nd – January 12th. Residents can leave trees curbside -with no decorations - on regular trash collection days.
• Meridian – Residents can leave trees curbside during regular trash collection days from January 8th – January 12th. Also, Meridian residents can drop off trees at the city’s transfer station on 2130 W. Franklin Road until January 13th.
• Eagle – Curbside pickup from January 2nd – January 12th. Residents can leave trees with no decorations on regular trash collection days.
• Garden City – Curbside pickup from January 2nd – January 12th. Residents can leave trees with no decorations on regular trash collection days.
• Star – Curbside pickup from January 2nd – January 12th. Residents can leave trees with no decorations on regular trash collection days.
• Kuna – No curbside pickup. Kuna residents can bring trees to Hidden Hollow Landfill, to the Meridian transfer station on 2130 W. Franklin Road until January 13th, or to the Allied Waste Transfer Station on 4485 S. Curtis Road until January 20th.

To read information on specific cities, please see the Boise City website.

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