The holidays are over and it’s time to clean up.
There are many ways to dispose of your dried up Christmas tree.
In Pitt Meadows, you can bring your trees to Meadows Landscape at 18020 Kennedy Road will be hosting their annual tree chipping event in support of the Pitt Meadows Lions and Girl Guides from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7. The cost is by donation and the tree will be chipped and recycled. Free hot chocolate and doughnuts will be available.
In Maple Ridge Ridge Meadows Search & Rescue will be collecting trees and donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 6 and 7 and Jan. 13 and 14 at the Search and Rescue building at 23598 105 Avenue where they will be chipping trees with a chipper provided by Bartlett Tree Experts. The chips will be dumped at Augustine Soil and Mulch where it will be made into fertilizer. Proceeds from this event will be split between Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue and the First Haney Rovers.
“We just have to do a needs assessment in the new year to see what our priority is,” said Sean Tinney, a member of Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue, about what their portion of the money will be going towards.
“I think one of the top ones we have is a new boat,” said Tinney.
The current boat used by Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue is outdated and beyond its life expectancy of 20 years.
“The one that we currently have is a residential boat that we outfitted more for search and rescue type,” explained Tinney.
“The new boat that we’re looking at and priced out is built specifically for search and rescue type scenarios. So it would have all of the safety equipment that we would require. So our lights, our navigation tools, all of our radio systems, instead of what we’ve retrofitted with our current set up,” he said.
If you can’t deliver your tree to Search and Rescue then you can arrange for a pick-up by the scouts by sending an email to scoutchipping@gmail.com and include your name, telephone number, address and the day you would prefer for pickup. Then leave your donation under your front mat or in the mailbox. Donations to the scouts will be earmarked for new equipment and camping trips.
Trees can also be brought to the Maple Ridge Transfer Station at 10092 236 St. where a yard waste tipping fee will apply.
The Maple Ridge Transfer Station will be closed Jan. 1 but will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Keep in mind snow-flocked or frosted trees are not permitted as green waste at Metro Vancouver Transfer Stations as the snow-like flocculant on the trees cannot be properly composted at organics processing facilities.
For more information call 604-466-9277.