Christmas tree recycling info for local parishes

The environmentally-conscious disposal of Christmas trees is scheduled in Orleans Parish Orleans on the regularly scheduled collection days of January 9, 10 and 11.

The trees must be natural, with all ornaments, tinsel, lights and tree stands removed. Trees should not be placed in plastic bags. And they should not be placed on neutral grounds.

Flocked and artificial trees are not eligible for collection.

The recycling project is being funded by the general fund budget of the Office of Coastal and Envi­ronmental Affairs at a cost of approximately $12,700. The City’s Department of Sanitation, Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs and the Materials Manage­ment Group are making possible the effort to collect, sort, and bundle the trees, which will be placed in selected coastal zones. For more information, call 311.

In Jefferson Parish residents should place trees curbside on January 8. Garbage trucks will make one pass through each neighborhood to collect trees January 9, 10 and 11.

According to the parish, this year’s project involves two phases. Some of the trees will be placed in the marsh, refurbishing previously constructed shoreline fences in Goose Bayou near Lafitte to help protect Jefferson’s coastal wetlands; and others will be chipped and used for composting.

Volunteers are needed, particularly those with shallow draft boats, to move trees from a Lafitte staging area to the pre-constructed shoreline fences in Goose Bayou. For more information or to volunteer, contact the Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs at (504) 731-4612.

Residents of Terrebonne Parish are requested to place their Christ­mas trees in the area of their normal garbage pickup January 2 to 7. Residents may also drop off their Christmas trees at any time prior to January 7 at any of the TPCG Residential Drop-off Sites located at 263 Ashland Landfill Road, 651 Isle Cuba Road in Schriever or 160 Crochetville Rd. in Montegut.

In Lafourche, Thibodaux residents can place take their green trees to the dumpster placed in the parking lot at the northwest corner of the Thibodaux Civic Center through January 7.

This article originally published in the December 30, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.