COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — With Christmas wrapping up, you may be thinking about what to do with the tree. A local organization is offering tree recycling throughout Colorado Springs to raise money for its programs.
The "Treecycle" program is a collaboration between the City of Colorado Springs, El Pomar Youth Sports Park, Colorado Springs Utilities, and Colorado Springs Youth Sports.
The program says it aims to reduce tree waste, create mulch, and support youth development programs throughout the region.
Residents can drop their trees off at the locations listed below, Treecycle asks for a $5 donation per tree. Trees will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 31st, 2023, and January 6th and 7th, of 2024.
Treecycle Locations:
- Baptist Road Trailhead (Baptist Road and Old Denver Road)
- Falcon Trailhead (South of Woodmen Road & McLaughlin Road)
- Cottonwood Creek Park (Dublin Blvd. & Montarbor Drive)
- UC Health Park (Barnes Road & Tutt Blvd.)
- Rock Ledge Ranch (Gateway Road & 30th Street – be mindful of area detours)
- Memorial Park (Pikes Peak Avenue & Union Blvd.)
All decorations, stands, and spikes must be removed from trees before drop-off. Tree debris other than from Christmas trees cannot be accepted.
An additional location is at Rocky Top Resources and will be available for tree drop-off during the days and times below.
December 27 to 30:
- 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Weekdays
- 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturdays
January 2 to 13 and 16 to 31:
- 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Weekdays
- 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturdays
Rocky Top Resources is closed on Sundays, but they began their program to support Colorado Springs Youth Sports on Wednesday.
Colorado Springs Youth Sports is a charitable non-profit organization that operates the El Pomar Youth Sports Park. 100% of donations received benefit area youth programs.
"We are working on new addition to the park, it'll be a small practice field with a rebound wall for soccer and lacrosse play, a pavilion which we don't have at the park, an area for food trucks up and down the parking lots to keep things safe," said Steve Czarnecki, Executive Director of Colorado Springs Youth Sports.
The recycled trees collected will be repurposed into mulch. A $5 suggested fee for this service will go directly towards Colorado Springs Youth Sports. Czarnecki told News5 that they typically collect more than 5,000 trees each year.
"It's great to see those repurposed as mulch and keep them out of the landfill and kind of continue their life in another format after it served as your Christmas tree," said Czarnecki.
Donations are also being accepted online.
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