How to recycle your Christmas trees, boxes and paper after holidays wrap up

By Kelcey Norris December 30, 2024 at 8:49 AM

The Mahoning County Green Team wants to help residents declutter their living rooms and apartments after the chaos of holiday gift exchanges while also reducing waste in landfills.

Christmas trees

When the twinkling lights and ornaments are safely tucked away and you’re ready to get rid of the Christmas trees, let the Mahoning County Green Team reuse the tree.

Cut Christmas trees ready to be retired for the holiday season are being collected at designated locations starting Dec. 26 through the end of January.

They’ll be reused as a natural habitat for fish in local lakes with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Mahoning County residents can drop off trees between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at these locations:

• Austintown Twp. - Austintown Township Park, 6000 Kirk Road

• Beloit Village - Village Park, 17910 E. 5th St.

• Berlin Twp. - Berlin Township Bldg., 15823 W. Akron-Canfield Rd.

• Campbell City - Salt Dome, Warhurst Rd.

• Canfield Township - Fire Station, 5007 Messerly Rd.

• Craig Beach / Milton Twp. - Next to Fire Station, 1979 Grandview Rd.

• Ellsworth Twp. - Fire Station, 6036 S. Salem-Warren Rd.

• Goshen Twp. - Maintenance Garage, 12649 Seacrist Rd.

• Green Twp. - Cemetery at SR 165 & Beaver Creek Rd.

• Jackson Twp.- Township Bldg., 10613 Mahoning Ave.

• Lowellville Village - Street Dept., 3 W. McGaffney

• New Middletown / Springfield - Recycling Center, 10720 Struthers Rd.

• Poland Twp. - Poland Township Park, 7400 Moore Rd.

• Struthers City - Trees will be picked up at the curb.

• Youngstown - CCA (former South Branch Library), 1771 Market St.

What can/can’t be recycled

Bring any wrapping paper and greeting cards that are glitter-free to recycle at the drop-off sites or leave them at the curb for collection.

Don’t put broken Christmas tree lights on the side of the road for pick-up.

According to the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District, Trumbull residents can bring jumbled, old and broken string lights to designated recycling centers that accept electronic waste.

Mahoning county resident can drop off these miscellaneous and household electronics items at 825 Bev Road in Boardman.

Drive-in through the Bev Road entrance and team members will remove materials from your vehicle.

For more information, contact the Mahoning County Green Team at (330) 740-2060 and the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District at (330) 675-2673.

Safety benefits of recycling trees

Recycling holiday trimmings, paper and trees helps the environment and keeps reusable items out of landfills.

The National Fire Protection Agency strongly encourages Ohioans to remove Christmas trees from their homes promptly after the holiday season to prevent home fires.

One third of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur in January, on annual average.

When a Christmas tree ages inside, it dries out. A dried-out tree can become engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds, according to the NFPA.

Kelcey Norris

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Aaron Moody is a sports and general reporter for the News & Observer. Here is a second sentence for the bio because it will probably be longer than this. Maybe even longer I don't know. Support my work with a digital subscription

This story was originally published December 26, 2024 at 12:19 PM