The city of Denver is encouraging residents to start the new year off green by recycling their holiday trees through the Treecycle program. The program kicks off on Monday, December 29, and allows for trees to be turned into mulch, providing a sustainable option for disposal. Denverites are reminded to remove all decorations, lights, and stands before bringing their trees in for recycling.
Weekday drop-offs will be available from December 29 through January 30, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The recycling effort, according to the City and County of Denver's official announcement, will not be operational on January 1 and January 19 due to holiday observances. The Cherry Creek Transfer Station, Havana Nursery, and Central Platte Campus are among the locations open for recycling your trees.
For those who can't make the weekday slots, five drop sites will open on Saturday, January 3, from the same 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. timeframe. An additional four sites will be available on the Saturdays of January 10 and January 17, expanding the options for residents to participate. Locations like Sloan’s Lake Park, Fred Thomas Park, and the John F. Kennedy High School will be hosting these Saturday events.
Beyond trees, Denver residents have the opportunity to recycle holiday lights that have lost their luster. At the Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off or Blue Star Recyclers, broken or defunct lights can be recycled for free until January 2, reinforcing the city's commitment to environmentally conscious holiday clean-up initiatives. It's essential to note, as the City and County of Denver's announcement emphasizes, that holiday lights should not be placed in purple recycling carts but rather taken to designated drop-off points.
Residents seeking an alternative to tree recycling, although highly encouraged to mulch, can set their tree out on their large item pickup day. However, trees discarded during large item pickup will not enter the recycling stream. The end result of this season's recycling efforts will be mulch, which the city plans to offer back to the community for free at their annual Mulch Giveaway in the spring. For more details on the Treecycle program and how to participate, interested individuals can visit Denvergov.org/Treecycle.
