In the Press

Tree-recycling program continues through Jan. 11 -- 01-05-2009

Tree-recycling program continues through Jan. 11
BY VICTOR CALDERON
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 1/05/2009

Now that the Christmas holiday season is truly over you might still be wondering what to do with that tree of yours.


Volunteers in Reno and Sparks gladly will take those trees off your hands.

Luke Arnone and his mother, Lynn, were out collecting trees Friday afternoon at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, one of three sites for the annual Christmas Tree Recycling program of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful.

The program began the day after Christmas and continues through Jan. 11 at Bartley Ranch, Rancho San Rafael Regional Park and the Shadow Mountain Sports Complex in Sparks.

Dozens of volunteers from schools and nonprofit groups ensure that there are people at those sites to collect trees daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This was Arnone's third year volunteering for the tree collection. The Galena High School junior usually volunteers with friends, but was joined by his mother on a blustery, chilly Friday.

"It's usually quite nice out, and the trees smell nice," said Arnone, who volunteers as part of a community service program at his school. "But the reason I do this is that Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful does some great work."

Using this program to recycle a live tree helps preserve landfill space and contributes to park projects in Washoe County, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful officials have said.

Larger groups typically volunteer on weekends, said Maia Dickerson, program director.

Groups that have volunteered this year include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Intuit, Boy Scouts, the Sierra Foundation and Wells Fargo.

"Having the volunteers out there allows us to offer this great program to the community," Dickerson said.

People illegally dumping trees near the collection sites has been a problem in the past, but officials said that mostly happened after collection hours. They're seeing a decline in illegal dumping.

About 9,500 trees were recycled through the program last year, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful officials have said.



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