City of Kalispell to recycle residents' Christmas trees

Next month, the Kalispell Parks and Recreation Department will begin its annual Christmas tree pickup and recycling program.

With assistance from a group of volunteers, the city will pick up trees on Jan. 2, 9, 16 and 23.

“It’s a good thing for the community because they don’t have to run it out to the landfill,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Chad Fincher said.

Finch said the trees will be chipped down to mulch and donated to the Flathead Valley Community College community garden as well as the city’s community garden. A number of trees also will be given to F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. for its biomass facility, Finch said.

Finch said in the past, the city has collected between 2,500 and 3,000 Christmas trees through the pickup and recycling program.

The Parks and Recreation Department is getting assistance from several church groups to tackle the effort.

Finch said groups of four to 20 people join with pickups and trailers during the weekends following Christmas. The groups try to go through each neighborhood at least twice. Jan. 23 will be the final day to have the city pick up Christmas trees.

“The biggest thing is there can’t be any tinsel or garland in the tree,” Finch said. “We appreciate the extra effort the community makes to help us out with that.”

To have your Christmas tree picked up and recycled, simply place it standing upright in the boulevard in front of your home. The program only operates within city limits.

For more information, call 758-7849.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.