Louisianans encouraged to recycle Christmas trees

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Many people in Louisiana have plenty of options when it comes to disposing of their Christmas trees.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is encouraging people to recycle. In East Baton Rouge Parish, they have curbside pickup from January 7 through January 19.

Tossing your tree in a body of water is just one “no-no” of the many you want to avoid now that holidays are nearing an end. Jimmy Frederick works for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, which is doing all it can to make sure people properly dispose theirs tree.

Click here for more on the CRCL

Fortunately, in East Baton Rouge Parish, there’s an easy option. Curbside pickup will be availble soon. Not only will the parish take your tree, but it’ll also recycle it.

RELATED: Christmas tree recycling underway in East Baton Rouge Parish

“They actually mulch the trees and use them for beautification projects, which is great,” said Jimmy Frederick, Communications Director for CRCL. "It’s not necessarily helping the coast, but it is helping our landfills to not fill up. It’s important for that reason.”

Ascension Parish also does curbside pickup. In Baton Rouge, there are designated drop-off zones at Independence Park, Highland Road Park, Memorial Stadium, Flaneery Road Park, and Skip Bertman Drive. Those are available until January 26.

You need to take off all the tinsel, stands, lights, and ornaments. Also, do not place them in a bag.

For those who really want to go above and beyond, consider driving to a parish that recycles trees for coastal restoration. Jefferson, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Orleans parishes all participate.

The trees are used to slow down waves, and erosion.

"They’re put into something called brush fences and basically it’s a corral. It helps the sediment to settle out of the water column,” Frederick explained.

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