Tree recycling program turns holiday decor into mulch

Boulder City residents can recycle their Christmas trees for free from now until Jan. 16.

Trees can be dropped off 24/7 in the recycling container at Bravo Field near the corner of Eagle Drive and Sixth Street.

The Boulder City recycling program is part of an effort to keep trees out of landfills in Southern Nevada. There are more than 30 drop-off locations throughout Las Vegas and Henderson. To make this happen in town, the Boulder City Public Works Department partners with BC Waste Free and the city of Henderson.

According to Boulder City Communications Manager Lisa LaPlante, approximately 175 Christmas trees were recycled in 2018.

When dropping off a Christmas tree at the recycling container, all nonorganic objects such as lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments and nails should be removed. Artificial Christmas trees and those with artificial snow cannot be recycled.

Trash is not accepted at the recycling container.

After the trees are recycled, they are turned into organic mulch, which residents can get for free starting Jan. 4. The mulch is available through Feb. 1 on a first-come, first-served basis at Pecos Legacy Park, 150 N. Pecos Road, and Acacia Park, 50 Casa Del Fuego St., both in Henderson.

“Trees are valuable organic material that can be chipped into mulch and keep our local parks beautiful year-round,” said Tara Pike-Nordstrom, University of Nevada, Las Vegas recycling manager and member of the Christmas Tree Recycling Committee.

Those coming to get mulch should bring their own shovel and a container.

According to UNLV, more than 16,000 trees were recycled last year into 141 tons of nutrient-rich mulch and more than 243,000 trees have been recycled since the community-based program began counting trees in 2001.

For more information about Boulder City’s tree recycling program, contact Boulder City Public Works at 702-293-9200 or BC Waste Free at 702-293-2276.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.