Christmas tree recycling options available

Christmas trees are not accepted at Missouri landfills, but three local avenues are available from Bass Pro Shops, Wickman's Garden Village and the city of Springfield Yardwaste Recycling Center, according to a city news release.

Bass Pro, 1935 S. Campbell Ave., will accept trees at a cost of $2 per tree, which will be recycled for use in the store's fish habitat. The offer stands though Jan. 1. The fees will benefit the Ozark Trails Council, the Springfield chapter of Boy Scouts of America.

Wickman's locations at 1345 S. Fort Ave. and 10791 U.S. 60 in Monett will accept trees through Jan. 13 for a $5 charge, with proceeds donated to The Kitchen. Trees given to Wickman's will be recycled into wood chip mulch, which can then be taken home.

The Springfield Yardwaste Recycling Center, off Farm Road 164 near the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant, will waive its standard $3 brush recycling fee through Jan. 29 for individual trees. Commercial loads will still be subject to existing commercial fees. Donations are accepted. The center will be closed Jan. 1.

The Missouri legislature passed a law on Jan. 1, 1992, that made it illegal to dispose of Christmas trees in sanitary landfills. The law was created because the trees had made up approximately 20 percent of the total solid waste taken to landfills and because there are beneficial uses for recycled trees, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (PDF).
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