As the holiday season comes to a close, it’s important to think about what to do with your live Christmas tree. In Atlanta, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) provides a solution with their treecycling program, which collects live trees and transforms them into mulch for local parks. Partnering with Jackson EMC, Walton EMC, and the Gwinnett County Departments of Transportation and Parks & Recreation and Fire, GC&B will collect live trees between December 26, 2023, and January 24, 2024 at select fire stations throughout Gwinnett County. The trees will then be chipped into mulch and used to enhance local parks.

To participate in treecycling, simply drop off your live Christmas tree at one designated collection site, including Buford, Sugar Hill, and Suwanee. Note that artificial trees will not be accepted; and live trees must be free of lights, tinsel, decorations, and tree stands.

Last year, GC&B collected over 21 tons of mulch during their Bring One for the Chipper event. If you’re interested in volunteering for the 2024 event on January 27, register online at Volunteer Gwinnett – Gwinnett | Gwinnett County. Volunteers must be 14 years or older and can include individuals, families, school clubs, civic groups, companies, and neighborhood associations.

“Bring One for the Chipper has become an annual tradition for countless families – whether dropping off their trees, volunteering at the event, or both,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “Our primary goal is to divert live Christmas trees from landfills and give them a new purpose to beautify local parks. It’s a service that we are honored to offer our neighbors throughout Gwinnett County and open to other metro Atlantans who happen to be in the area with their live Christmas trees in tow.”