Riverside County to Turn Christmas Trees into Fish Habitat

Who knew your holiday trees could make life a little better for fish? 

The Riverside County Waste Management Department is working closely with the California Department of Fish and Game to collect Christmas trees at county landfills and provide them for fish habitat.  The county landfill department is always looking for innovative ways to divert waste and preserve valuable landfill space. 

The Department of Fish and Game will use the waste conifers in local lakes and waterways to create protective habitat for small fish.  Christmas trees collected at the Badlands, Blythe, and Lamb Canyon landfills, through the free Christmas tree drop-off program, will be provided to the Department of Fish and Game, who will sink the trees in local lakes and waterways so that juvenile fish have a little more protection from larger predatory fish.

Trees must be prepared for recycling by removing all decorations, lights, tinsel, and tree stands.  Flocked trees cannot be recycled and need to be cut up and placed in your regular trash container.

Other Christmas trees that are recycled at free drop-off sites or at the curb will be taken to local green waste processors to be recycled into compost or mulch products.  Most trash haulers will collect Christmas trees curbside for two weeks after Christmas.  Place the prepared tree next to the green waste container on your regular pick-up day.  Trees over 4 feet tall should be cut in half.

For those who don’t have a curbside pickup program, there are several drop-off locations that will accept up to three residential prepared trees for free for two weeks after Christmas:

•             A. Lua Wood Recycling, 18938 Mermack Ave., Lake Elsinore

•             B.P. John Recycling, 28700 Matthews Road, Romoland

•             Burrtec Compost Facility, 87-011 Landfill Road, Coachella

•             Burrtec Recycle Center, 41-800 Corporate Way, Palm Desert

•             Burrtec/Robert A Nelson Transfer Station, 1830 Agua Mansa Road, Riverside

•             California Department of Fish & Game, 17041 S. Lovekin Blvd., Blythe

•             Green Waste Recycling, 32665 Mission Trail Road, Lake Elsinore

•             Riverside County Badlands Landfill, 31125 Ironwood Ave., Moreno Valley

•             Riverside County Blythe Landfill, 1000 Midland Road, Blythe

•             Riverside County Lamb Canyon Landfill, 16411 Lamb Canyon Road, Beaumont

•             S A Recycling, 29-250 Rio del Sol Road, Thousand Palms

Unfortunately, trees that are not recycled at drop-off locations or through curbside pick-up will only occupy valuable space in our landfills.

Make the last gift you give this year to the earth…Recycle Christmas Trees!

If you would like more information on this program, please call Riverside County Waste Management Department (951) 486-3200 or visit our website at www.rivcowm.org. 

For more green holiday suggestions please check out our fact sheet at http://www.rivcowm.org/opencms/landfill_info/pdf/FactSheets/96399-GreenHolidaySuggestions.pdf

--Riverside County Waste Management