A recycling program in Wake County will turn Christmas trees into mulch for county parks.
Now through Jan. 22, the county is accepting trees for its Happy Trails recycling program.
"We basically see this as a way to give back to the public and folks in Wake County," said Grant Jones, the county's solid waste program director. "We have a lot of kids that visit the parks and just being able to show how we can utilize resources and give back to the environment is a very positive thing to do."
The following convenience centers will accept Christmas trees from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week:
- Site 1 – 10505 Old Stage Road, Garner
- Site 2 – 6120 Old Smithfield Road, Apex
- Site 4 – 3600 Yates Mill Pond Road, Raleigh
- Site 11 – 5051 Wendell Blvd./U.S. 64 Business, Wendell
And these Wake County parks will accept trees from 8 a.m. until sunset, seven days a week:
- Blue Jay Point County Park – 3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh
- Harris Lake County Park – 2112 County Park Drive, New Hill
- Lake Crabtree County Park – 1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville
- Green Hills County Park – 9300 Deponie Drive, Raleigh
All trees must be free of lights and decoration before the county will accept them. Last year, the county turned nearly 6,000 Christmas into mulch.