(BIVN) – The County of Hawaiʻi is again offering Christmas tree recycling at certain transfer stations through January 15.

To help make the holidays greener, the Solid Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Management says residential customers are encouraged to “tree-cycle” at the following Recycling and Transfer Stations which accept greenwaste and treecycling: Hilo, Keaʻau, Pāhoa, Volcano, Kealakehe, Ke‘ei, and Waimea.

“Please be aware that all decorations, stands, lights, tinsel, and ornaments must be removed prior to treecycling,” a county news release stated before the holiday season. “Please note that artificial trees, flocked trees, or trees with decorations cannot be tree-cycled, but may be disposed of in the regular trash chutes.” Officials added:

County of Hawaiʻi
on November 30, 2018

Residential customers may leave holiday trees in designated tree-cycling areas (but not in the rubbish chutes) during normal business hours between December 26, 2018 and January 15, 2019 only. Facility attendants will direct the public to the proper treecycling drop-off point. For more information or a map and directions to drop-off locations, go to hawaiizerowaste.org.

At the Hilo Recycling and Transfer Station, residential customers with only holiday trees for tree-cycling may proceed directly to the East Hawaiʻi Organics Facility and look for the designated tree-cycling area. There is no need to go to the County scalehouse, as is normally required. Residential loads with both greenwaste and holiday trees must first go to the County scalehouse to be weighed, prior to recycling. All commercial haulers or commercial holiday tree collectors must proceed to the County scalehouse prior to disposal.

Commercial customers may tree-cycle at the East Hawaiʻi Organics Facility in Hilo or the West Hawaiʻi Organics Facility in Waikoloa.

Please note that tree-cycling is not available at the Miloliʻi or Oceanview Transfer Stations.

County officials also shared a word on the New Year’s tradition of kadomatsu, “a tradition that began more than 600 years ago in Japan as a way of attracting good luck in the New Year,” the news release explained. The county says kadomatsu decorations – normally a combination of bamboo, pine and flowers – may be placed in the normal tree-cycling areas.