Christmas Tree Recycling In Ogle County I

In Ogle County when the final carol has been sung and the last cookie baked, it’s time to give a final Christmas gift by recycling your Christmas tree.  A real Christmas tree is a renewable, recyclable resource that allows you and your family to enjoy the noblest of holiday symbols and help the environment at the same time.   Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department offers a Christmas tree recycling program for residents in the area.   Please be sure to remove all decorations from the tree, including ornaments, garland, tinsel, and water stand.

Trees will be chipped into mulch to be used for public beautification projects.  Additional mulch is available to residents at no charge, and will be available for pick-up at most locations.  This mulch can be used for gardening and landscaping or on biking trails, paths, and walkways. The number of trees chipped in Ogle County this past January was approximately 720.  With each tree weighing about 50 pounds, that’s approximately 18 tons of waste being diverted from the landfill.  Over 10,600 trees have been recycled since the inception of the program in 1998, which equates to approximately 270 tons of trees.

Local high school FFA groups from Byron, Oregon, Polo, and Forreston volunteer their time to pick up trees at the curb for residents and take them to the chipping site.

This program is very successful because it is based on the volunteer efforts of the following:

*Byron Forest Preserve District*                    *City of Byron*Byron High School FFA*

*Tom Lichty’s Landscaping Service*              *Village of Forreston*

*Forreston High School FFA*                          *Village of Leaf River*Oregon Park District*

*Oregon High School FFA*                             *Flagg-Rochelle Park District*City of Rochelle*

*Polo High School FFA*                                  *Aurand Tree Service*

Thank you to all Ogle County residents who make the effort to have their Christmas tree chipped.

Please check each location to see if there is a pick up or drop-off.  Trees must be at the curb no later than 8:00 a.m. on January 12th, for those with tree pickups.

Oregon: Drop off at Park District Maintenance Dept., Hill Street.  *Oregon High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Byron: Drop off at Illinois Route 2 & South Peru Street.  Byron High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Forreston: Drop off at 407 N. Locust Street in Forreston.  Forreston High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Leaf River: Drop off at 18 Railroad Street, near sewage treatment plant.  Forreston High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Rochelle: Drop off at Atwood Park, 10th Avenue & 20th Street.  City will chip trees at the curb during first 2 weeks of January.

Monroe Center: Drop off at Tom Lichty’s Landscaping, 309 Pacific Street.

Polo: Drop off at 410 N. Prairie Street between storage units.  Polo High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Mt. Morris: Drop-off at Oregon Park District Maintenance Dept., Hill Street.  Oregon High School FFA will pick up trees at the curb.

Other Options

One of the best things you can do is to give it to the birds.  Winter birds appreciate the cover of a tree, especially if decorated with bird food ornaments.  

Tie the tree to a stake or post to prevent it from blowing away in winter winds.  Or lay the tree on its side and scatter birdseed around it. Just be sure to remove any Christmas decorations, especially tinsel, which can hurt birds if they eat them.

One caveat: Once birds get used to feeding at a spot, they will return to feed for the rest of the winter.  If all the food runs out, replenish it or they will go hungry.

If you can't make that commitment, bestow your tree to your flowerbeds.  Cut up the branches and use them as winter mulch on perennial flowerbeds.

Place evergreen boughs on top of low growing plants for protection, especially in late winter, when freezing and thawing of the soil heaves shallow-rooted perennials out of the ground.

Other branches can be dispensed to a winter display.  Arrange them in a large container near your door, porch, or some other focal point.  Add other greenery and decorations, such as barberry, cones, dried grasses, berries, and seedpods. 

The Solid Waste Management Department coordinates the Christmas Tree Recycling Program, advertises in the local newspapers and distributes posters to various towns.  Please contact our office for more information or to volunteer during this event.

The Ogle County Christmas Tree Recycling Program received State recognition when it was presented the 2011 Illinois Recycling Association’s “Excellence in Recycling” Award for Outstanding Community or Government Program.

Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department

815-732-4020  www.oglecountysolidwaste.org

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