OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Following the holiday season, Boy Scouts in eastern Nebraska are promoting recycling by trying to collect more than 4,000 Christmas trees.
The annual effort currently involves five Scout troops and aims at keeping material from the trees out of landfills, The Omaha World-Herald reported (https://bit.ly/2iRnh95 ). The trees can be turned into mulch or used for fish habitat.
The setup is straightforward. Residents make arrangements by phone or online for a tree to be collected. Scouts in pickup crews organize a route and head out. The trees are then dropped off at local recycling spots.
“It’s great for the community,” said Boy Scout Tyler Richards, 15, who has helped pick up trees for several years.
The Scouts work alongside some Christmas tree sellers by pre-tagging the trees with cards that promote the recycling service. The Scouts also pick up the sellers’ unused trees.
This year’s collection began the day after Christmas and will run into early January.
The community project, which began 18 years ago, has grown to cover most of Douglas and Sarpy counties in eastern Nebraska, as well as Lincoln. Organizers hope to expand the collection so it covers the entire Omaha metro area.
Wally Farley started the project with Troop 282 and continues to help coordinate the collection.
“It grew so much because it’s a good project,” he said, “and we work hard at it.”
___
Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.