NEW ORLEANS — Now that Christmas is over your Christmas tree could be used to help Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts.
Christmas tree recycling will happen in both Jefferson and Orleans parishes. The trees will be collected and used to shore up Louisiana’s coastline and rebuild important wetlands. The trees also create an important habitat for birds, fish, crabs, crawfish, and shrimp. The goal is to collect 10,000 trees this year.
“Our wetlands are our first line of protection from storm surge and hurricanes,” said ORS Environmental Affairs Administrator Cheryn Robles. “The Christmas tree recycling program is a great way for residents to get involved in the fight to restore our coast.”
The Impact
For decades, real Christmas trees have been used to fight coastal erosion.
St. Charles Parish was the first to start the program in 1989. Since then, more than 1 million trees have been recycled, according to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
“So, it’s building marsh, but it’s also slowing erosion by slowing down the wave fetch and wave energy against the marsh as well," Gardner Goodall with CRCL said, "It's a race against time and we need all the help we can get with the Christmas trees."
This year, the coalition has teamed up with local nonprofits and the Point-au-Chien tribe to deposit trees in the Terrebonne Basin.
Drop offs are setup between now and Mardi Gras Day across Orleans, St. Bernard and Terrebonne parishes.
Drop off locations:
- CRCL: 6207 E St. Bernard Hwy
- CGR: 1500 Deslonde St.
- Spoga: 811 C M Fagan Dr. Hammond, LA
- Pointe-Au-Chien School: 1236 LA-665 Montegut, LA
- Snake & Jakes: 1200 Hillary St.
- GHF: 3935 Louisa St (M/W 9-530 Sat 9-4)
- Terrebonne Parish Sites:
- 651 Isle of Cuba Rd. Schriever, LA (Mon-Sat 7-5)
- 160 Crochetville Rd. Montegut, LA (Mon-Sat 7-5)
- 277 Ashland Landfill Rd. Houma, LA (dawn-dusk)
Below is important information on Christmas tree recycling in your parish.
Orleans Parish
Trees that are left out for curbside pickup in Orleans Parish are dropped into Bayou Sauvage using helicopters and airboats.
Project Leader for the Refuge, Pon Dixson, said he's seen the results of the program. What was once open water is now a thriving marsh.
"This is the first Christmas tree project that we did back in the early 90s," Dixson said, “A lot more wildlife habitat. A lot more diversity in the plant species here.”
Residents should leave their trees curbside before 5 a.m. on their regularly scheduled trash collection day from Jan. 8-13. French Quarter and Downtown Development District residents should leave their trees curbside before 4 a.m. on Jan. 11.
To learn more, go to nola.gov/ChristmasTreeRecycling.
Jefferson Parish
Residents of Unincorporated Jefferson Parish and the Town of Jean Lafitte who want to recycle their Christmas trees are asked to fill out a form online which will notify trash collection that your tree is ready for recycling.
Once the form is filed, trees must be placed curbside by Wednesday, Jan. 10, and will be collected on the garbage pickup date of Jan. 11- Jan. 13.
Trees in Jefferson Parish are taken to the Barataria Basin. More than 20 acres have been directly impacted by the program, the parish said.
St. Tammany Parish
Residents can drop their trees off for coastal recycling for the entire month on January at the Covington Fairgrounds, at 61134 N. Military Road in Slidell.
Don't Forget
Trees must meet the following guidelines in order to be recycled:
- No flocked trees
- No artificial trees
- No painted trees
- No lights, garland, tinsel, ornaments, tree stands and plastic bags
St. Charles Parish
Curbside pickup will be available for residents from Jan. 8- Jan. 11, 2024.
Residents have two opportunities to recycle their trees. From now through Jan. 11, residents can drop off their trees at the East and West Bank Bridge Parks.
The following are requirements to have trees recycled in the marsh:
- No flocked trees
- No artificial trees
- No painted trees
- No ornaments
- No lights
- No stands
- No bags
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