The Curry Environmental Facility in Tuscaloosa is offering a program to let people drop off Christmas trees as well other greenery and decorations to be recycled to make cleaning up for the new year a little easier.

“The program started 13 years ago. Over 1,200 trees have been recycled,” said Ashley Chambers, an environmental educator in Tuscaloosa. 

Instead of dumping trees into landfills, the Curry Environmental Facility collection program will grind the trees and greenery into mulch. 

Michelle Smart, a community engagement manager for the city of Tuscaloosa, said that in order for greenery to be eligible for the drop-off, all lights and ornaments must be removed. However, the center has separate recycling bins next to the drop-off point for lights and ornaments. 

Harris Bolus, a sophomore majoring in nutrition and a senator in the SGA, said he supports the program and the trees should be reused if possible. 

“I would be concerned with the fungus [the trees] might have been sprayed with during their growth getting into all the areas where they’re being used as mulch,” said Bolus. 

Despite these reservations, Bolus recognizes that recycling the trees by destroying them and turning them into mulch is better than putting them into landfills. 

“The ideal solution would be to compost them because most pesticides will break down over time or with bacterial degradation,” he said. 

Anyone can drop off their Christmas trees, wreaths and lights at the Curry Environmental Facility located at 3440 Kauloosa Ave until Sunday, January 14.