Xmas tree pickup schedule for coastal restoration project

The City of New Orleans is continuing its program of recycling Christmas trees in an effort to promote the restoration of Louisiana’s wetlands and to assist in the protection of the Louisiana coastline.

Orleans Parish residents, eligible for garbage collection by the City, are encouraged to recycle their Christmas trees by placing them curbside, before 5 a.m., on their regularly scheduled second collection day that occurs between Jan. 11-13, 2018 for properties served by Richard’s Disposal and Metro Services. Properties in the French Quarter or DDD, served by Empire Services, should place their trees curbside before 4 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.

Only natural, unflocked trees that are free of all stands and trimming can be recycled. All ornaments, tinsel, lights and tree stands must be removed before being placed curbside. Flocked, artificial trees, trees in bags or trees with trimming that have not been removed will be collected with garbage and transported to the landfill. Trees are not to be placed on neutral grounds as this delays the collection process.

The City’s Department of Sanitation along with its solid waste contractors Metro Services, Richard’s Disposal and Empire Services and the Office of Resilience and Sustainability are working together to collect, sort and bundle the trees, which will be placed in selected coastal zones.

Last year, more than 8,000 Christmas trees were collected in Orleans Parish after the holidays and airlifted by the Louisiana National Guard into the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge as part of a program to create new marsh habitat.

Residents seeking more information should call NOLA 3-1-1.

This article originally published in the January, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.