Now that the holidays are over, many may be wondering what to do with the now dried out six-foot tree in the corner of the den.
Richmond County treats leftover trees as any other yard or household waste for the first two weeks of the year. According to the Augusta/Richmond County website, residents can simply put the tree out on the curb on the regularly scheduled pick-up day, and the tree will be recycled.
In North Augusta, the city will hold its annual TreeCycle program the week of January 10. Residents should place their bare tree at the curb on the normal pick-up day for the tree to be picked up and recycled.
Columbia County does not pick up discarded trees as household waste; however, according to County Administrator Scott Johnson, residents still have options.
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Recteq has partnered with Georgia Power Legacy Containers and Augusta Industrial Services to host a Christmas tree recycling event on Jan 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. According to Trey Enfinger of Recteq, the trees will be mulched on site, and the mulch given back for free.
The event will be in the parking lot of Recteq’s Evans showroom at 4301 Evans to Locks Road, and people can drop off their trees early this week during the company’s regular business hours.
Anyone who would like to see their trees used to build up fish habitats can donate them to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is a long-running program that the Corps uses to submerge trees in Clarks Hill Lake to make new homes for fish.
All tinsel should be removed from the tree before they given to the Corps.
The Corps will be accepting trees through Jan. 16 at the Below Dam Park, Amity Day Boat Ramp and Keg Creek Boat Ramp in Georgia and at the Dorn and Parkville boat ramps in South Carolina.
Also in Columbia County, Boy Scout Troop 643 will be picking up trees on Jan. 7. According to Cynthia Stein-Rader, troop committee chair, the suggested donation for home pickup is $15.
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“This money does not go into the operational fund. It goes directly to the accounts of the boys that participate, and they can use that money for summer camp and other Boy Scout activities,” Stein-Rader said.
The trees will be transported to the Clarks Hill Lake drop-off for the US Army Corps of Engineers. To schedule a Saturday pick-up, send an email request to getmytree643@gmail.com.
A bad idea for Christmas tree disposal is dragging it to the backyard and burning, according to Richmond County UGA Extension Agent Campbell Vaughn.
“Those trees, especially Frazier firs, are filled with sap and a fire such as that can get out of control quickly,” Vaughn said.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
