City Councilwoman Nury Martinez (District 6), Board of Public Works Commissioner Aura Garcia, LA Sanitation and Environment Director and General Manager Enrique C. Zaldivar, and Los Angeles City Fire Captain Cody Weireter were at the East Valley Sanitation District Yard in Sun Valley yesterday to discuss and demonstrate how to properly recycle Christmas trees and provide important fire safety tips.
L.A. Sanitation, which oversees this annual program, provides residents with safe and environmentally friendly options for recycling their holiday tree. These trees, which otherwise would have ended up in a landfill, are turned into mulch and compost to be used by residents for gardening and City staff for landscaping.
The City wants to ensure Angelenos there are options to properly and safely dispose of their trees. Those are:
- Green Bin – Residents can follow an easy three-step process to recycle their trees:
○ Remove decorations and stand;
○ Cut the tree into pieces, if needed, to fit into green bin; and
○ Place in green yard trimming bin and put out on your weekly collection day.
- Curbside – Residents, who are unable to cut and place in their green bin, may leave their tree at the curb on their weekly collection day.
- Drop-off locations –
○ 6 Recreation and Parks sites on Sunday, January 6, 2019 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
○ Lopez Canyon Environmental Education Center or Harbor Sanitation District Yard weekdays from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
○ 13 Los Angeles City Fire Department stations.
For a complete list of locations with detailed drop off dates and times, click here or call the LA Sanitation Customer Care Center at (800) 773-2489.
Residents of multifamily buildings are requested to place their Christmas trees curbside for collection day in their neighborhood by LA Sanitation. For collection day information, go to www.lacitysan.org or call LA Sanitation Customer Care Center at (800) 773-2489.
In addition to Christmas trees, holiday wrapping paper, cartons, cardboard, Styrofoam® and other expanded polystyrene products, plastics and gift boxes are also recyclable and should be placed in the blue bin. However, it is illegal to place household hazardous waste, such as electronics (i.e. televisions and computers) and batteries into the collection bins. Please take those items to one of seven S.A.F.E. Centers for safe disposal and recycling.
Recycling Christmas trees and other holiday items are an important way for Angelenos to help the environment and their community.
