It’s that time of year again: what to do with that dying Christmas tree eating up space in your living room, dropping pine needles everywhere.
Well, you’re in luck.
For the fourth year in a row, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, located at 1651 E. Calvada Blvd., is accepting holiday trees for recycling through Friday, Jan. 23.
Debby Woodland, a master gardener, said the co-op started the program in 2010 as a way for local residents to dispose of their live Christmas trees in a safe and secure environment. The co-op then has the trees turned into mulch for the on-site community gardens.
“We started this as a way to educate the public and hopefully stop people from just dumping their trees along the side of the road,” Woodland said. “The trees are turned into mulch which is beneficial to the ground and the environment.”
Woodland said that the co-op has an established arrangement with the Nye County Public Works Department which brings the chipper over and chips all the trees which are then mulched right back into the ground.
“We are a lot closer than the dump,” Woodland said. “People always put cactus on their property, thinking it’s good for the environment. This way, they can see that, with mulch which is created by donating their trees, it conditions and feeds the soil immediately. There is no waste.”
The mulch is used in the co-op’s demonstration garden.
Trees can be dropped off at the south end of the parking lot. Woodland said that once the trees are turned into mulch, people are able to see the difference of how heavy the mulch is and that it does not blow away.
Each year, Woodland said, the co-op usually receives between 60 and as much as 125 trees.
The co-op also receives the trees that go unsold from Home Depot or Star Nursery for disposal.
“This is just a great way for the trees and plants to get instant nutrition,” Woodland said.
Nye County Public Works Road Superintendent Tim Carlo said the county is happy to donate the use of the wood chipper.
“This continues to be a great benefit to the community, as a whole,” Carlo said. “It works well with the Master Gardeners.”
Woodland cautioned that they cannot accept any artificial or flocked trees. The trees must be free of ornaments, lights, tinsel and metal stands. Trees can be dropped off anytime.
Anyone wanting any other information can contact Woodland at 775-727-5532.