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CHRISTMAS TREES RECYCLING AND PHONE BOOK RECYCLING
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, December 14, 2003

As I walked around my neighborhood recently, I noticed several pine trees in pots. It is exciting to see that people have taken care of their living Christmas trees and will soon bring them in for the holiday. 

Local nurseries such as Mid-City Nursery as well as YardBirds and Home Depot carry a variety of beautiful trees. These living trees can stay indoors for about a week in a cooler spot with a little extra care. 

There are several varieties of trees to choose from: Alberta Spruce, Colorado Spruce, Deodar Cedar, Austrian Black Pine, Scotch Pine, and the Giant Sequoia all grow in natural conical shape and make excellent choices for a living Christmas tree.

Living Christmas trees require two quarts to one gallon of water every day. To protect the tree from drying out, it is best to place it in a cool area away from heater vents and use miniature lights. 

When the tree is ready to be taken outside, place it in a cool, protected spot for 12 days to allow the tree to acclimate. You can leave your tree in its large pot so that you can use it next year after careful summer feeding and watering.

If you opt for a cut tree, you have three ways to recycle it. Vallejo’s Treecycle program is in its fourteenth season. Derek Crutchfield, Vallejo’s Recycling Coordinator, is working with six local nonprofits who will be picking up trees. Groups will be working on three weekends: December 27-28, January 3-4, and January 10-11. 

This is a fund-raising event for the groups and they are requesting a $5 donation. Watch for flyers in your neighborhood and look for ads in this paper. Flyers will be available at VALCORE Recycling and City Hall. You can also view the Treecycle map on the city web site: www.ci.vallejo.ca.us.

Last year, groups earned an average of $2000 and 64 tons of trees were recycled. The drop-off Treecycle program begins on Friday, December 26. VALCORE Recycling will accept trees Monday through Saturday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. until January 10.

Vallejo Garbage Service will accept Christmas trees on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until January 10. Vallejo residents do not need to use their extra yardwaste voucher for this service.

There is no charge but please remember to take off all decorations and stands. Flocked trees are not accepted nor are trees with tinsel. You can also place your tree inside your yard waste bin or tie it in bundles no larger than 18 inches by 36 inches for pick up on your regular garbage day.

PHONE BOOK RECYCLING

When I started writing this column in 1992, it was difficult to find a place to recycle phone books. Now we have many options.

SBC Smart Yellow Pages delivers 106,200 directories in Vallejo and Benicia. The average weight of a phone book is 2.5 pounds. Approximately 265,500 pounds or 133 tons of books are delivered annually. That many phone books would fill our twenty-yard newspaper dumpster 33 times. One can easily double that tonnage as most homes also receive a competitor’s directory. Many offices have directories from other cities. So the importance of recycling old phone books is significant.

Sheryl from Vallejo Recycling reported that they accept phone books year round. Residents can place them in their blue curbside paper recycling bin or in brown paper bags next to their recycling. Please do not put your paper bins out when it is raining.

Vallejo Garbage Service accepts phone books on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 2021 Broadway. You can also drop them off at VALCORE Recycling. For more phone book recycling information call 1 800 953-4400.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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