MEDIA RELEASE

The County of Hawai‘i’s Departments of Environmental Management and Public Works are teaming up to support “Treecycling.” Public Works will be providing on-site tree chipping at certain locations.

Please help keep our island green and recycle your holiday tree and greenery. After Christmas, drop your trees at any of eight county recycle and transfer stations: Hilo, Puakō, Kailua-Kona, Honoka‘a, Kea‘au, Keauhou, Waimea and Wai‘ōhinu.

This program will last from Dec. 26, through Jan. 15, 2012

Trees and greenery should be free of all decorations, lights, tinsel and ornaments. Please do not drop off artificial or flocked trees.

Chipping the trees and making the material available for use in gardens will allow the county to divert thousands of trees from our landfills and add valuable mulch to island soils. In addition, chipping will help reduce the illegal dumping of holiday trees.

Also, please recycle your Kadomatsu decorations which are normally a combination of bamboo, pine and flowers. Kadomatsu is a tradition that began 600 years ago in Japan as a way of offering luck in the New Year.

Information about the County’s Treecycling Program and additional recycling and solid waste programs is available on the website at www.HawaiiZeroWaste.org. For further information, please contact the County Solid Waste Division at 961-8270.