Along with the TreeCycle event, Delaware has 24 sites to recycle this year’s Christmas trees.
Keep the holiday cheer alive while transitioning to 2024 and help conserve and improve Delaware’s soil by recycling your Christmas tree.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) are asking First Staters to give their real trees to a yard waste recycling site rather than dumping them off in landfills.
The two agencies are hosting a free “TreeCycle” event Saturday, Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DCH parking lot, located at 1810 North Dupont Street in Wilmington.
If the weather isn’t jolly, the rain check date will be Sunday, Jan. 7.
According to DNREC, 176,000 tons of grass, leaves, brush, trees and other lawn and landscape materials were recycled last year.
Recycling these scraps sequesters carbon that fertilizes the soil and helps it retain moisture.
Philadelphia’s Davey Tree Expert Company will be onsite to chip the trees using its commercial chipper/grinder to make wood chips that will be used in DCH gardens, the Shearman Street community garden and other public landscapes throughout the city of Wilmington.
No artificial trees will be accepted, and all ornaments, tinsel, fake snow, light strings and other decorations must be removed for safety.
Where to recycle your Christmas tree
New Castle County has five recycling sites, Kent County has three and Sussex County has 16.
Click here to find one close to you.
Depending on the site, tree recyclers might have to pay a fee, but many locations accept the trees at no cost. There’s also different criteria of what each site will accept and recycle, so click the link above to find the right site for you.
Most sites will accept trees through the end of January.
More information can be found at de.gov/yardwaste.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz
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