The process of un-decorating and throwing out your ridiculously expensive Christmas tree after the holiday season is always pretty depressing. But if you live in the New Orleans area, you can put that decaying, naked Tannenbaum to good use.
A decades-old Christmas tree recycling project is starting back up again this January in four New Orleans area parishes, part of a broader effort to restore Louisiana's coast.
Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Tammany parishes use natural fir, pine and spruce trees to buffer Louisiana's shorelines, stopping erosion by blocking waves and capturing sediment. The trees also help to build a habitat and provide food for fish, birds, reptiles, mollusks and crustaceans.
So if you want to feel a little less wasteful this holiday season, here's how to recycle your Christmas tree in your area:
Recycling schedule by parish
Orleans Parish: Residents should leave their trees curbside before 5 a.m. on their regularly scheduled trash collection day from Jan. 8-13. French Quarter and Downtown Development District residents should leave their trees curbside before 4 a.m. on Jan. 11.
Jefferson Parish: Trees must be placed curbside by Jan. 10 to be collected from Jan. 11-13.
St. Tammany Parish: Residents can drop their trees off for coastal recycling for the entire month of January at the Covington Fairgrounds, at 61134 N. Military Road in Slidell.
St. Charles Parish: Trees will be collected curbside from Jan. 8-11. Residents can also drop their trees off at both the East Bank and West Bank bridge parks from Dec. 26-Jan. 11.
Recycling rules
- No flocked trees
- No artificial trees
- No painted trees
- No lights, garland, tinsel, ornaments, tree stands or plastic bags