Well, folks, it looks like the season of yuletide cheer is giving way to a burst of eco-conscious energy in Chicago. Chicagoans itching to offload their Christmas trees have a green solution: recycling. The city's Department of Streets and Sanitation is joining forces with the Chicago Park District to ensure that your former festive fir can have a second life as mulch, and they've made it super simple with 27 drop-off points conveniently scattered throughout Chicago. These designated spots will be accepting your life and spruced up, I mean used-up, natural trees from Jan. 6-20, helping keep that post-holiday glow alive just a bit longer, as reported by WTTW News.
Before you load up the family sled (aka your trusty hatchback) with the once-adorned evergreen, remember to strip it down to its birthday suit. That means ditching the ornaments, lights, tinsel, and tree stand, and ditching the plastic bags used for transport, too. Starting Jan. 8, in a literal ground-breaking giveaway, six of the locations will also be doling out free mulch for the taking. Some of the strategic spots include Lincoln Park, Margate Park, and Mt. Greenwood Park, serving up an environmentally friendly way for residents to kickstart their gardening game in the coming spring, NBC Chicago gives us the scoop.
Here’s the drill: take that pine to places like Bessemer Park, Humboldt Park Boathouse, or Lincoln Park if you fancy that coveted mulch, or hit up any of the other locations listed on WTTW News. "The holiday tree recycling program is just one of the many ways Chicagoans can divert unnecessary waste from local landfills," Cole Stallard, the Streets and Sanitation Commissioner said, a sentiment obtained by our friends over at NBC Chicago. Clearly, the city's making strides in sustainability, with this annual program running since a time when the word "recycle" was mostly just a good Scrabble word.
And just because the festive season is over doesn't mean you can't keep on giving, at least to Mother Earth. Turning those trees into nutrient-rich mulch for city parks and local green thumbs is as noble an end as any fading holiday decoration could hope for. With free mulch available, it's also a bit of a thank you from the city, a bonus for eco-friendly civilians helping to keep Chicago's parks lush and lovely. In a twist, by doing away with your old tree, you're laying the groundwork for a new life — now there's a win-win if I ever heard one.
