‘Tis the time to get rid of Christmas trees on Owatonna

OWATONNA — Owatonna’s Christmas tree dumping days are coming.

Residents have two weeks to get their trees to the compost pile. After that they’ll have to keep it around for a lot longer.

This Saturday and Sunday will be the first weekend when residents can drop their trees, wreaths and other yard waste off at the composite site. The site will be accepting the Christmas leftovers from noon to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The last weekend for this opportunity will be Jan. 9 and 10, during the same hours. Applicable charges include 3 dollars per Christmas tree and 50 cents per wreath.

“Bags of leaves forgotten in the fall are okay, but this is mostly for holiday greenery,” said Mary Overlee Olson, the Steele County recycling coordinator.

If Owatonna residents miss their window, hey’ll be stuck with the tree until the compost site opens again in April. Minnesota State law states that residents aren’t allowed to bury once living trees in the landfill. It is also illegal to burn the tree in their yards in town, and according to Olson, Christmas trees burn too hot to be used for firewood in fireplaces.

Instead, residents will have to keep their tree in the backyard. Until the compost site is open again, there won’t be many choices to get rid of the tree.

Olson knows how that goes. She and her family don’t always get out to the site on time.

“To anyone who asks what they should do with their tree, I say put the tree in the backyard and tell people you’re providing habitat for small animals. That’s what I do,” Olson said. “If people don’t want to have their tree in the backyard until April, get out there the first two weeks of January.”

Once the two-week period ends, a grinder is brought in. The trees and wreaths are turned into mulch and put in the compost pile. Once ready, the compost is sold to whoever wants it.

There are some things that people must do before the site can accept what they bring in. All non-biodegradible material has to be removed. That means ribbons or bulbs on wreaths must be gone before they are dropped off. Tinsel and other decorations must be removed from any trees, and if anyone chooses to use a plastic bag for transport, it has to be taken off before the materials it contains are accepted. Pine cones and wires are okay.

“Anything not biodegradable must be removed,” Olson said.

The cities of Ellendale and Medford don’t have anything set up for tree collection. The City of Blooming Prairie says people can just drop their trees off at the compost site for free disposal, but City Administrator Mike Jones doesn’t expect many.

“We did a big tree collection one year and only got about six; everybody seems to be switching to fake trees,” said Jones.

Briana Gehring can be reached at 444-2378.

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