Consider Recycling Your Real Christmas Tree

As Christmas decorations are packed away, many cities across central Indiana are preparing to put discarded trees to good use. In Fishers, residents can drop off their real Christmas trees at designated recycling lots throughout the year.

The City of Fishers has opened a Christmas tree drop-off site at Holland Park and plans to keep it open through the end of January.

"We know how excited people can get to take Christmas decorations down after Christmas," said Ashley Elrod with the City of Fishers. "It's great to see local residents utilizing this program."

Resident Keith Shipman was one of those who took advantage of the program, hauling his tree to Holland Park just days after Christmas.

"The day before Christmas, I realized that the twigs were starting to just fall," Shipman said. "Today is a good day to get rid of it."

The trees collected in Fishers will be used long after the holidays are over. The City's Department of Public Works will mulch the trees and use the resulting material in the city's parks.

"I didn't know that the city recycled them and used them back on their own grounds," Shipman said. "I just figured it was all mulched up and taken away in a truck somewhere."

Shipman hopes others will follow his lead and take advantage of local tree recycling programs.

"I'm trying to be more efficient with my greens and save the earth with sustainability," Shipman said. "I don't want to just dump it alongside the road somewhere."