It may be sad to consider today, but that Christmas tree in the living room will have to come down sometime.Keep Forsyth County Beautiful invites residents to recycle their real trees free of charge as the annual “Bring One for the Chipper” begins today at county recycling centers and Vickery Creek Elementary School.On Jan. 5, the two Home Depot locations in the county will also accept trees, and chippers will be out at all the sites.County residents have dropped off thousands of trees each year, said Tammy Wright, environmental program manager.“It’s one of those very consistent events that people know about and they bring their trees,” Wright said. “From what I’ve seen, there were a pretty good number of live trees sold this year, so it’ll be business as usual.”The busiest day for collections is typically Jan. 5, which is the statewide “chipper” event.“On that particular day, there will just be somebody there to greet you with a smile and give you some freebies,” Wright said.Residents can receive free red bud or red cedar seedling, as well as vegetable seed packets on a first-come, first-serve basis, she said.The recycled trees are chipped into a lower-grade mulch, which can be used for trails or some flower beds, Wright said. The cedar chips “smell really good” and don’t attract insects like other types of mulch.Wood chips will also be available later for county residents near the roads and bridges facility on County Way. Those interested are responsible for loading and hauling their own wood chips.
It may be sad to consider today, but that Christmas tree in the living room will have to come down sometime.Keep Forsyth County Beautiful invites residents to recycle their real trees free of charge as the annual “Bring One for the Chipper” begins today at county recycling centers and Vickery Creek Elementary School.On Jan. 5, the two Home Depot locations in the county will also accept trees, and chippers will be out at all the sites.County residents have dropped off thousands of trees each year, said Tammy Wright, environmental program manager.“It’s one of those very consistent events that people know about and they bring their trees,” Wright said. “From what I’ve seen, there were a pretty good number of live trees sold this year, so it’ll be business as usual.”The busiest day for collections is typically Jan. 5, which is the statewide “chipper” event.“On that particular day, there will just be somebody there to greet you with a smile and give you some freebies,” Wright said.Residents can receive free red bud or red cedar seedling, as well as vegetable seed packets on a first-come, first-serve basis, she said.The recycled trees are chipped into a lower-grade mulch, which can be used for trails or some flower beds, Wright said. The cedar chips “smell really good” and don’t attract insects like other types of mulch.Wood chips will also be available later for county residents near the roads and bridges facility on County Way. Those interested are responsible for loading and hauling their own wood chips.