“Treecycle” your holiday tree

Area communities offer tree recycling services to residents

When the holidays are over, ornaments are taken down and put back into storage and strings of lights are re-tangled in knots for next year. But once all the decorations are put away, what do you do with your natural holiday tree? “Treecycle” it! Visit www.RecycleSpot.org or call (816) 474-8326 for a list of locations throughout the metro area that will recycle your tree for little to no cost.

Like other yard waste materials, holiday trees are banned from landfills in Missouri and are discouraged from being deposited into Kansas landfills. So instead of trashing those trees, area communities offer residents a number of ways to recycle them — services that not only divert materials from landfills, but also create a useful resource that can be used for a variety of purposes. Throughout the region recycled trees are mulched and used for trail surfaces, erosion control and landscaping. Some are left whole and used to create fish habitat in local lakes. 

“Trees provide habitat for animals and help clean our air,” says Matt Riggs, outreach coordinator for the MARC Solid Waste Management District. “After these trees have decorated our homes, they can be recycled and used to improve the environment.”

Approximately 33–36 million natural holiday trees are produced in the U.S. every year. For every tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following spring.

For more information on proper holiday tree disposal or other recycling services, visit www.RecycleSpot.org or call (816) 474-8326.

Following is a list of holiday tree recycling services in the metro area. If your community is not listed, contact your city or trash hauler to find out if they offer this service.

Pick-up Services

• Belton – Lawn-Corps Yard Waste Recycling & Soil Center (816) 761-3046; Missouri residents only
• Grandview – Compost Connection Inc. (816) 761-8300; Missouri residents only
• Kansas City, Mo. – Country-Side Recycling (816) 923-7127; Missouri residents only
• Kansas City, Mo. – Nature’s Rubbish (816) 444-4050; Missouri residents only
• Lenexa – Lenexa residents only (913) 982-3900
• Merriam – Merriam residents only (913) 322-5570
• North Kansas City – North Kansas City residents only (816) 274-6004
• Olathe – Olathe residents only  (913) 971-8600
• Town & Country Disposal – Will provide free pickup service for communities where it provides residential waste hauling - (816) 380-5595
  

Drop-Off Locations

• Blue Springs – Pink Hill Park, 2715 Park Rd., Blue Springs, Mo., (816) 228-0137
• Bonner Springs – North Park, 1200 S. 134th St.,  Bonner Springs, Kan., (913) 441-1662
• Bonner Springs – Wyandotte County Park, 126th & State Ave., Bonner Springs, Kan., (913) 573-8327
• Buckner – Yard waste drop-off site, 2500 O’Donnell Rd., Buckner, Mo., (816) 650-3191
• Excelsior Springs – Public Works Facility, 1290 S. Marietta St., Excelsior Springs, Mo., (816) 630-0755
• Gladstone – Public Works Facility, 4000 NE 76th St., Gladstone, Mo., 64119, (816) 436-5442
• Harrisonville – Town & Country Disposal, 22820 S. 291 Hwy., Harrisonville, Mo., 64701, (816) 380-5595
• Harrisonville – Roll-Off Services, 2801 S. Brickplant Rd., Harrisonville, Mo., 64701, (816) 380-5566
• Kansas City, Kans. – City Park, 2601 Park Dr., Kansas City, Kan., (913) 573-8327
• Kansas City, Kans. – Alvey Park, 4834 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, Kan., (913) 573-8327
• Kansas City, Mo. (North) – City of Kansas City, Mo., Leaves & Brush, 1815 N. Chouteau Trafficway, Kansas City, Mo., (816) 513-1313
• Kansas City, Mo. (Southeast) – City of Kansas City, Mo., Leaves & Brush, south of I-470 on the east side of Raytown Rd., Kansas City, Mo., (816) 513-1313
• Kansas City, Mo. (East) – Missouri Organic Recycling, Inc., 7700 E. 40 Hwy., Kansas City, Mo., (816) 483-0908
• Kansas City, Mo. (South) – Suburban Lawn and Garden Yard Waste Recycling Center, 139th & Wyandotte, Kansas City, Mo, (816) 941-2438
• Kansas City, Mo. (South) – Damon Pursell Yard Waste Facility, 9001 Hickman Dr., Kansas City, Mo., (816) 304-3441
• Leavenworth – Transfer Station, 24967 136th St., Leavenworth, Kan., (913) 727-2858
• Leavenworth – Municipal Brush Site, 1803 S. 2nd St., Leavenworth, Kan., (913) 758-6601
• Lee’s Summit – City of Lee’s Summit Yard Waste Drop-off Center, 2101 SE Hamblen Rd., Lees Summit, Mo., (816) 969-1980
• Lenexa – Little Mill Creek North Park, 7900 Cottonwood, Lenexa, Kan., (913) 477-7141
• Liberty – Bennett Park, 1100 Clayview Dr., Liberty, Mo., (816) 439-4415
• Liberty – City Park, 970 South 291 Hwy., Liberty, Mo., (816) 439-4415
• Olathe – Kill Creek Park, 11670 Homestead Lane, Olathe, Kan., (913) 441-8669
• Olathe – Heritage Park, 16050 Pflumm Rd., Olathe, Kan., (913) 441-8669
• Olathe – Yard waste collection facility, 127th Street & Hedge Lane, Olathe, Kan., (913) 971-8600
• Overland Park – Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W. 179th St., Overland Park, Kan., (913) 895-6273
• Overland Park – Youngs Park, 7701 Antioch, Overland Park, Kan., (913) 895-6273
• Overland Park – Quivira Park, 11901 Quivira, Overland Park, Kan., (913) 895-6273
• Overland Park – Indian Creek Recreation Center, 10308 Marty, Overland Park, Kan., (913) 895-6273
• Paola – Wallace Park, Osage Street & Wallace Park Dr., Paola, Kan., (913) 259-3620
• Platte City – Yard waste drop-off site, 99 W. Mill St., Platte City, Mo., (816) 858-3046
• Richmond – Yard waste drop-off site, 205 Summit St., Richmond, Mo., (816) 776-5304
• Riverside – Damon Pursell Yard Waste Facility, 6105 NW Riverpark Dr., Riverside, Mo., (816) 304-3441
• Shawnee – Deffenbaugh Recycling Center, 17955 Holiday Dr., Shawnee, Kan., (913) 631-3300
• Shawnee – Shawnee Mission Park, 7900 Renner Road, Shawnee, Kan., (913) 441-8669.
• Smithville – Little Platte Park, Smithville Lake, 16311 DD Hwy, Smithville, Mo., (816) 407-3400
• Sugar Creek – Courtney Ridge Recycling Center, 2001 N. 291 Hwy., Sugar Creek, Mo., (816) 257-7999