Glenda Lewis, the district manager for Orangeburg County's Soil and Water Conservation office, knows exactly where she'll take her Christmas tree after the holidays.

"I'm going to put mine back up in the attic," she said. "I really think a lot more people are using artificial trees."

However, for those who do not have artificial trees that can be simply packed away, ornaments and all, until next year's festivities, there is a environmentally sound way to dispose of them.

Each of the county's 21 solid waste collection or convenience sites as well as the landfill will take the used Christmas trees.

"Be sure all the tinsel and ornaments are removed and the stand is off; no metal or nails," said Earl Whalen, director of Public Works. "We'll grind them as we've done in the past."

Tina Goddard, executive director of Orangeburg County's chapter of Keep America Beautiful, says most people already know about the disposal of old Christmas trees. That's why, she says, the organization no longer has a Grinding of the Greens recycling bin for one day at any special location.

"It's not really needed anymore, so we use our funding for other projects," she said. "We no longer have the one-day drop off because, after so many years, people have adapted to the idea that recycling their Christmas tree is the thing to do and it is something that they buy into. We have drop off sites at all of the solid waste collection sites throughout the county, and the city will pick up trees curbside."

The Grinding of the Greens provides an environmentally responsible method for trees to be recycled and ground into mulch for use in erosion and drought control, or as an excellent fertilizer or mulch, says Goddard.

"Disposal of trees in the landfills consumes space needlessly," she said. "And, it's missing a positive opportunity for use of old trees. Grinding trees transforms a huge pile of trees into a remarkably small amount of mulch."

Not only is the public more aware, Goddard says, they actually anticipate the effort and "if they're not using the tree for fish habitat in ponds," they'll carry them to the convenience sites throughout the county after the holidays for recycling.

Being a rural county, Whalen says, Orangeburg has a demand from fishermen who want the old Christmas trees to put in fish ponds or on the lake.

"They use them for fish attractors; they weight them with a cement block," he said.

Fishermen should get their trees when they're discarded out by the curb, not when they've already been taken to the landfill.

"Our policy is, once something has been accepted by the collection site, it can't be removed," Whalen said.

What is available, he says, is the mulch that comes from the trees.

"It's stockpiled at the landfill," he said. We still have some from last year. We grind it up for mulch. We're glad to give it away to whoever wants it."

T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached by e-mail at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5545. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.