To help make the holidays greener, Hawaii County will again offer free tree-cycling.
“We will start taking the trees on Dec. 26,” said Department of Environmental Management Division Chief Greg Goodale.
Christmas trees will be accepted at all county recycling and transfer Stations with green waste collections during normal operating hours through mid-January.
“We give people plenty of time to bring the trees in,” said Goodale. “We encourage everybody to recycle their trees, and (to) make sure there are no ornaments, lights or tinsel on the trees.”
Trees will be rendered into mulch, which is available free to the public at West Hawaii Organics Facility, Kealakehe Recycling and Transfer Station and at the East Hawaii Organics Facility.
The Solid Waste Division reminds people that artificial trees, flocked trees, or trees with decorations cannot be tree-cycled, but may be disposed of in the regular trash chutes.
In West Hawaii, trees may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at the Kealakehe Transfer Station green waste collection site; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Waimea Transfer station, and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the West Hawaii Organics Facility in Pu‘uanahulu.
East Hawaii residents may drop off trees daily at the East Hawaii Organics Facility from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All county transfer stations will be closed New Year’s Day.
For more information on recycling in Hawaii County, visit www.hawaiizerowaste.org.