Recycling Drives Set for Christmas Trees

By providing several recycling opportunities, communities from Agoura Hills to Sunland have taken away excuses for keeping that Christmas tree up long after the holiday.

Many of the recycling drives will turn the unadorned, discarded trees into mulch or compost.

In Agoura Hills, Boy Scout Troop 127 will take reservations, today only, to arrange to pick up trees in the Conejo Valley between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. A donation of $5 or more is requested and will go toward troop activities.

For service in Agoura Hills, call (818) 991-3866; in Westlake Village or Oak Park, call (818) 889-4956; and in Calabasas, call (818) 706-8818.

Los Angeles County will open a recycling center for the area from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Gates Canyon Park, 25801 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Calabasas.

For more information on county-run programs, call (888) 253-2652.

Residents of Los Angeles and Agoura Hills may recycle their trees in their green waste-recycling bins on normal trash-collection days, sanitation officials said.

Agoura Hills will accept flocked trees, but Los Angeles residents should place those trees in the black trash bins for collection.

Because they are a potential fire hazard, it is illegal to leave old Christmas trees on Los Angeles streets.

Los Angeles also will have 12 drop-off sites open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Jan. 10 and 11.

The San Fernando Valley sites are at Branford Park, 13300 Branford St., Arleta; Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd.; Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino; and Chatsworth Park South, 22360 Devonshire St.

Those recycling trees at any of the Los Angeles centers will receive a coupon for a discount on admission to the Los Angeles Zoo, and one free admission to several city cultural centers and museums.

For more information on the city of Los Angeles’ program, call (800) 587-3356.