Once the holidays wind down, that once-festive Christmas tree does not have to end up in a landfill. Communities across Mobile and Baldwin counties offer free recycling programs that turn used trees into mulch and other useful material, and residents have several drop-off options in late December and January.
Before recycling a tree, officials remind residents to strip off all ornaments, lights, tinsel and other decorations. Only the bare tree should be dropped off. Artificial trees and flocked trees are generally not accepted.
In the city of Mobile, tree collection was available at seven sites through Jan. 10, with volunteers on hand to help unload on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. Drop-off spots included Parkway Plaza on Dauphin Island Parkway, a lot at 2501 Government Boulevard next to Whataburger, the Wildwood Shopping Center on Cottage Hill west of Azalea, a site behind the BP station at Airport and University, the Lowe’s at Airport and Schillinger, the MAWSS Park Forest Center on Moffett Road, and Cloverleaf Plaza in Tillman’s Corner. For details, residents could call 251-208-6029 or visit the city’s website.
The Mobile Zoo also welcomes trees, which its animals enjoy. Residents can drop off firs at the side gate during normal business hours, though cypress trees are not accepted.
In Daphne, trees left at the curb are collected with regular trash and recycled. Residents can also drop them off anytime near Daphne High School on Champions Way, at the Al Trione Sports Complex on Whispering Pines Road, or at the Dr. Albert Corte Jr. Animal Shelter on Johnson Road.
Fairhope collects trees on regular trash days through Feb. 23 and turns them into mulch, which is offered free to residents on Arbor Day, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Public Works Warehouse on South Section Street. Questions can be directed to 251-990-0192.
Baldwin County provides numerous additional drop-off points for residents across the region. Locations included the Bay Minette Transfer Station on Nicholsville Road, the Spanish Fort Volunteer Fire Department on Spanish Fort Boulevard, the MacBride Landfill in Loxley, the Baldwin County Central Annex in Robertsdale, the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, the Magnolia Landfill in Summerdale, the Foley Satellite Courthouse, and the Perdido Beach Volunteer Fire Department.
By taking a few minutes to haul a tree to one of these sites, residents help keep bulky yard waste out of local landfills while supplying material that comes back around as free mulch for gardens and landscaping.