The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana has a new web page that compiles information about parish efforts to collect and responsibly recycle or dispose of Christmas trees. CRCL spokesperson Jimmy Frederick says CRCL.org makes it easy to know when the trucks will be by to pick up your holiday evergreens.
“Aggregate that information, make it a one stop shop so that people around Louisiana, south Louisiana especially, can go to that one spot, it’s on our homepage, and you can get all of the information you need.”
The website notes the dates for pickups, along with drop-off deadlines.
Five parishes are collecting trees for coastal restoration efforts, a program that Frederick says dates back to 1989 when a Dutch LSU grad student studied flood prevention efforts in Holland. He says once planted into the bayou, the trees trap sediment, rebuilding the wetlands.
“It does work. It helps with fish habitat, it helps with wildlife habitat, and it certainly traps sediment that is in the water column, and helps build some land.”
Jefferson, Orleans, St. John, Tangipahoa, and Terrebone Parishes all collect trees for coastal restoration.
Frederick says responsible Christmas tree recycling isn’t just for coastal issues. He notes several other parishes participate in programs that use the trees for positive good, and encourages non-coastal residents to donate their firs to those efforts.
“It’s still important to keep our trees out of landfills. It takes up space, and it takes a long time for them to break down, so there are other parishes across the state, all the way up to Caddo, that recycle trees for mulching purposes and other things.”
