City officials urge residents to recycle rather than toss their trees. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
Officials are urging residents to drop their holiday trees off at recycling centers in 26 city parks and dozens of suburban locations starting tomorrow.
- Before you deposit the tree, take off all the stuff that's not organic, like ornaments and tinsel.
Why it matters: It's illegal to landfill organic matter in Illinois, because it creates methane, a damaging greenhouse gas.
What they're saying: "This is just one of the ways the City encourages residents to divert material from the waste stream, so it can be converted to resources and nourishment for the soil, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Streets and Sanitation commissioner Cole Stallard said in a press release.
Details: The program mulched nearly 20,000 trees last year to keep about 700,000 pounds of tree matter from landfills, according to DSS.
- Several locations, including six in Chicago, are offering mulch to the public starting Jan. 10.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Chicago.
More Chicago stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Chicago.