Bay Area Cities Want Early Tree Disposal

Dec. 23 - BCN -- While many Christmas trees become brown and brittle well into the month of February, several Bay Area city agencies and environmental groups are asking for a little foresight when it comes to their disposal.

San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and a host of other Bay Area cities trash trees as part of the regular garbage service, and many even recycle them. But residents shouldn't expect a friendly garbage man to stuff a Douglas fir in a bin as late as Valentine's Day.

In Oakland, the public works agency suggests that residents "treecycle" their Christmas trees by putting them out front for collection. Only trees that are free of decorations, chemicals and all other foreign objects are recyclable, however, and they should be no taller than five feet.

All chemically treated trees and those with flocking go straight to the landfill, according to the Oakland public works department.

Oakland residents have only the first two weeks of January to put their trees out, while in San Jose residents have until Feb. 2. Once the collection timeframe has expired, residents are expected to cut their trees into pieces that will fit inside a receptacle.

SF Environment, San Francisco's public environmental agency, suggests that holiday revelers go one step further when they pick out a tree next year. The agency suggests purchasing a live tree that can be decorated for the holidays and then planted once they're over.

For San Francisco residents who stick with the more traditional cut trees, there are also recycling pickups until Jan. 8. Any one who misses the date can take their evergreen to one of several drop-off centers in the city where they will be collected and mulched in an annual ceremony outside City Hall.

Most Bay Area cities have laws against dumping trees in the streets and sidewalks. Dumping on city property is often punished with a citation and hefty fines.

More information on the Jan. 26 tree-chipping event in San Francisco can be found on SF Environment's Web site at www.sfenvironment.com.

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