Posted on: Sunday, December 26, 2004

'Treecycling' offered in all four counties

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

If you're still suffering from sticker shock after buying a fresh Christmas tree, you might find some comfort in knowing your purchase can benefit the environment long after the needles dry out.

All four counties have "treecycling" programs that aim to keep discarded Christmas trees out of landfills and process them into garden materials. Consumers on O'ahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island can even get a little return on their investment, with free tree chippings and mulch available on a limited basis.

An estimated 120,000 to 150,000 Christmas trees were shipped to Hawai'i this year, a fraction of the approximately 25 million to 30 million real trees sold in North America every year. The National Christmas Tree Association says about two-thirds are sent to community recycling programs where they are turned into chippings, mulch or compost.

Chippings are used on gardens, parks, hiking trails, playground areas, animal stalls and landscaping, and mulch placed around plantings helps retain moisture and inhibit weed growth, according to Steve Pilkington of Kaua'i Nursery & Landscape, a treecycling location.

The mulch breaks down over time into nutrient-rich compost.

Rubens Fonseca of Maui EKO Compost estimates a third of Maui's live Christmas trees end up at his facility for composting. He said it takes about six to eight months to go from tree to compost.

"It's a win-win situation. The county wins by diverting that waste from the landfill and a good product turns out on the other side that is particularly beneficial to young soils like volcanic soil," Fonseca said.

Maui EKO Compost diverts 20,000 tons of green waste from the landfill annually, he said.

There aren't too many other uses for discarded trees in Hawai'i, not even as firewood, since the branches and trunks are too sappy.

One problem facing treecycling efforts in Hawai'i is that people continue to dump Christmas trees at parks and other locations no longer used as drop-off sites, or they bring trees before or after treecycling dates.

"It's a major problem with people dropping them off before the treecycling day and for weeks afterward," said Maui recycling coordinator Hana Steel. That's littering.

The practice is not only illegal, but dangerous. Steel said fires have begun in the piles of dried-out trees.

The county has hired Teens on Call to check sites where trees are commonly dumped.

"If someone has the ability and time to pick up a tree, they ought to plan for the time to take it back to a composter."

If that's not possible, consumers can cut trees into 3-foot or shorter lengths for curbside trash pickup. The tree scraps are not recycled and end up in a landfill.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.