Both the City of Salem and the City of Centralia will collect no longer wanted live Christmas trees without charge.
In Salem, trees should be placed at curbside on your normal Tuesday or Thursday compost day. All tinsel, ornaments, and lights should be removed. If trees are not clean of debris or are in bags, they will not be picked up.
In Centralia, residents may drop off Christmas trees at the south gate of the Public Works building at 115 East 5th starting on Tuesday. Trees will be accepted from eight am to three pm. The drop-off service will be available for three weeks, until January 19th. Residents are asked to remove all ornaments, lights, and tinsel before disposal. The trees will be used for fish habitat in the city’s lakes.
The US Army Corps of Engineers at Carlyle Lake will be collecting used, real Christmas trees for the annual Christmas Tree Recycling Project. They will be used for fish habitat in Carlyle Lake.
Christmas trees can be donated through January 28th at Plant Land on Old US 50 east of Breese, Keyesport Boat Ramp, 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 provide breeding areas, resting places, and protection. They give young fish much-needed living spaces where they can feed on plankton and avoid being preyed upon by larger fish. The protection provided by the trees allows young fish to grow to maturity and ultimately provide more fish for anglers.
If you are interested in volunteering to help place Christmas trees in the lake in the spring, please contact the Carlyle Lake Project Office at (618) 594-2484 or email at carlyle.lake@usace.army.mil
