If you have a live Christmas Tree you want to dispose of after the holidays, the Cities of Salem and Centralia along with Carlyle Lake are providing options to get rid of the trees to be used as fish habitat.
The City of Salem will pick up live discarded trees at the curbside on your regular compost day now through Friday, January 22nd. Compost pickup day for those living south of US 50 is on Tuesday and for those north of US50 on Thursday. All trees must be clean and have all decorations and all tinsel removed. The trees will be taken to a local lake for recycling.
In Centralia, trees may be taken to the Centralia Public Works Department and left at the south gate at 114 East Fifth for disposal. All trees must be completely bare.
The US Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake will once again be collecting used, real Christmas trees for its annual Christmas Tree Recycling Project. The Corps and Illinois Department of Natural Resources use the trees to provide effective and economical fish habitat at Carlyle Lake.
Christmas trees can be donated through January 30th at Plant Land located on Old Route 50 east of Breese, Allen Branch Boat Ramp Parking Lot in Eldon Hazlet State Park, and the Little Prairie Nature Trail parking lot, located in the West Spillway at Carlyle Lake. All decorations, including garland and tinsel, must be removed. No artificial trees or wreaths will be accepted.
Every spring, volunteers from various conservation-minded organizations and clubs donate their time to help submerge the trees in the lake as fish shelters. The fish shelters provided breeding areas, resting places, and protection.
If you’re interested in volunteering to help place Christmas trees in the lake in the spring, you may contact the Carlyle Lake Project Office at (618) 594-2484 or email at carlylelake@usace.army.mil.
