After Christmas tale

Let's look at that post-Christmas checklist. 1. Call everyone and thank them for their lovely gifts. 2. Go to church and ask for forgiveness for not being truthful when calling everyone and thanking them for their lovely gifts. 3. Recycle the Christmas tree.

Number three is the easiest as the Springs Preserve has teamed up with local public and private organizations to sponsor the seventh annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program that continues through Jan. 15. Last year, valley residents recycled more than 10,000 trees; this year's goal is 15,000 trees. The numbers are brought into focus when studying statistics that show some 30 million real Christmas trees are sold annually in the United States.

"Recycling trees helps to ensure the sustainability of our community by reusing and reducing," said Marcel Parent, manager of education and volunteerism for the Springs Preserve. "When chipped into mulch, cut trees are reused as valuable organic material in landscaping projects that help conserve soil moisture. The mulch also provides a protective barrier for roots of other plants, prevents weed growth and provides nutrients for plants. Recycling trees also reduces the volume of waste going into landfills."

In addition to encouraging Las Vegas residents to recycle, the program also targets tree lots and retail operators to recycle unsold trees.

Parent requests that all nonorganic material be removed from the tree such as lights, ornaments, wires, tinsel and nails, and said that flocked trees cannot be recycled because foreign objects contaminate the mulch and damage the chipper.

But not everyone can get around to recycling their Christmas tree and it will probably be tossed out with the trash.

Paul LaBruzzo, general manager at the Sloan Transfer Station for Republic Services, said all trees left on the curb will be picked up during regular neighborhood service days, even artificial trees with ornaments.

"From our experience, we already know we're going to be busy picking up trees," LaBruzzo said. "We compact them in the truck but it isn't that easy as they don't compact well with their branches and everything."

LaBruzzo recommends placing the tree in a large garbage bag when taking it curbside, especially if it is going to sit there for several days. By putting it in a bag, he explained, "it prevents fir needles from blowing all over neighborhood."

For the record, more than 90 percent of the 35 million live trees harvested this year were from the 1 million acres of Christmas tree farms. In spring, some 100 million trees will be planted to replace them.