It’s after Christmas: Here’s where you can take the tree in Madison County

People can complete their holiday cleanup by recycling Christmas trees at various locations across Madison County.

“Rather than toss the tree in the trash, take it to a recycling location,” Building and Zoning Administrator Chris Doucleff said.

In coordination with Madison County Building and Zoning, townships and municipalities throughout the county will provide 34 drop-off sites for residents.

Doucleff said the Christmas Tree Recycling Program started 24 years ago. He said the recycled trees are chipped into mulch and used in public gardens and parks across the community.

Trees will be accepted from Dec. 26 through Jan. 14, 2022. All lights and ornaments must be removed prior to drop-off. Pine wreaths, pine roping, or other landscape waste is prohibited.

Building and Zoning created a downloadable holiday recycling guide on its Recycling 101 page (https://bit.ly/2T0j4On .) The guide depicts which holiday items can and cannot be placed in single-stream recycling.

Other common holiday items such as burned out Christmas light strands, plastic bags, bubble wrap, and plastic air pillows are recyclable but not in your single stream bin. These items can be dropped off at recycling bins found at many local stores. For additional information, www.earth911.com is a resource to find drop off locations for these items locally.

More information, visit the county website www.madisoncountyil.gov.