Six months from now, discarded holiday Christmas trees will get a second life in front yards, gardens and fields as compost, or on beaches as part of dunes.
The Atlantic County Utilities Authority takes recycled Christmas trees and turns them into eco-soil, or compost, said ACUA Communications Manager Monica Coffey.
鈥淩ecycling your Christmas tree is much cheaper for your community than putting it in the trash,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t keeps it out of the landfill, which saves valuable landfill space.鈥�
All lights, garland, tinsel and any other decorations should be removed before the tree is put on the curb for pickup, Coffey said. Flocked trees, or trees sprayed with aerosol foam made to look like snow, are accepted. Trees should not be bagged.
鈥淚t鈥檚 another step in the handling process. We wouldn鈥檛 want plastic in the compost or mulch,鈥� she said.
ACUA will collect Christmas trees from Absecon, Buena Vista Township, Egg Harbor City, Hamilton Township, Linwood, Northfield, Ventnor and Weymouth Township, according to the ACUA website.
ACUA collected about 200 tons of Christmas trees last winter, said ACUA Solid Waste Director and county recycling coordinator Gary Conover. Tree recycling costs $26.50 per ton for disposal.
Once trees arrive at the ACUA facility on Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township, the trees go into a stockpile with other yard waste, including leaves and brush. A horizontal grinder grinds the material, which then goes into piles called windrows, Conover said.
Windrow turners 鈥� machines that look like giant tunnels with teeth 鈥� aerate the windrows weekly, and take the piles鈥� temperature, moisture and pH balance, Conover said.
鈥淩oughly six months later, we鈥檒l push it off in a curing pile. We screen the material,鈥� he said.
Small pieces, which are good material, come out one end of the screening machine, and small branches that weren鈥檛 broken down come out the other end. The finished product is eco-soil, or compost, which ACUA sells for $3 per bag.
Towns not served by the ACUA, and Brigantine, which is served only seasonally, should contact their public works department for proper tree recycling.The Brigantine Department of Public Works encourages residents to drop off trees to be used to build dunes.
The Atlantic County Utilities Authority takes recycled Christmas trees and turns them into eco-soil, or compost, said ACUA Communications Manager Monica Coffey.
鈥淩ecycling your Christmas tree is much cheaper for your community than putting it in the trash,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t keeps it out of the landfill, which saves valuable landfill space.鈥�
All lights, garland, tinsel and any other decorations should be removed before the tree is put on the curb for pickup, Coffey said. Flocked trees, or trees sprayed with aerosol foam made to look like snow, are accepted. Trees should not be bagged.
鈥淚t鈥檚 another step in the handling process. We wouldn鈥檛 want plastic in the compost or mulch,鈥� she said.
ACUA will collect Christmas trees from Absecon, Buena Vista Township, Egg Harbor City, Hamilton Township, Linwood, Northfield, Ventnor and Weymouth Township, according to the ACUA website.
ACUA collected about 200 tons of Christmas trees last winter, said ACUA Solid Waste Director and county recycling coordinator Gary Conover. Tree recycling costs $26.50 per ton for disposal.
Once trees arrive at the ACUA facility on Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township, the trees go into a stockpile with other yard waste, including leaves and brush. A horizontal grinder grinds the material, which then goes into piles called windrows, Conover said.
Windrow turners 鈥� machines that look like giant tunnels with teeth 鈥� aerate the windrows weekly, and take the piles鈥� temperature, moisture and pH balance, Conover said.
鈥淩oughly six months later, we鈥檒l push it off in a curing pile. We screen the material,鈥� he said.
Small pieces, which are good material, come out one end of the screening machine, and small branches that weren鈥檛 broken down come out the other end. The finished product is eco-soil, or compost, which ACUA sells for $3 per bag.
Towns not served by the ACUA, and Brigantine, which is served only seasonally, should contact their public works department for proper tree recycling.The Brigantine Department of Public Works encourages residents to drop off trees to be used to build dunes.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing it for close to 25 years,鈥� Brigantine DPW Superintendent and recycling coordinator John Doring said. 鈥淲e lay them lengthwise where we want to establish a dune.鈥�To read the full story, visit .