Tips to treecycle your Christmas tree

As you recycle your wrapping paper, don’t forget to “treecycle" your Christmas tree.

Pierce County residents who subscribe to yard waste collection service can place their unflocked tree in their container. Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be disposed of as garbage.

Residents may also recycle their tree free of charge at Pierce County’s transfer stations. For locations, visit piercecountywa.org/treecycle.

Program organizers want the public to remove the tree stand, tinsel, decorations and any nails or staples and to place the tree in your yard waste container for pick up on your regularly scheduled collection day.

The tree must fit into the closed container, so cut the tree into pieces if necessary. If your tree isn’t in the cart, you may be charged for the additional pick up, organizers said in a press release.

“All trees collected are composted into Cascade Compost, a beneficial soil amendment that is popular with home and commercial gardeners,”said Sheryl Rhinehart, Pierce County Public Works and Utilities outreach coordinator. “The compost created enhances soil quality, saves water, and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers. Treecycling also helps save valuable landfill space.”