Don’t toss your Christmas tree, Las Vegas. UNLV wants to turn it into mulch

When the smell of pine begins to fade this holiday season, UNLV has an easy solution for Southern Nevadans.

Tara Pike, UNLV’s sustainability coordinator, said the university and its partners will be ready to collect Christmas trees as soon as Friday through Jan. 15.

There are 30 drop-off locations as far west as Summerlin and as far southeast as Boulder City to recycle the trees — and for a good cause.

“Christmas trees are one of the most recognized traditions of the season, but they can also crowd landfills when they’re thrown away in late December and January,” Pike said in a statement. “Recycling trees creates water-smart and nutrient-rich mulch, and all donations will be used to sustain and beautify our local parks and public spaces.”

Turning the trees into mulch is a net benefit for the community, given for use in local school gardens and local parks, and made available to residents.

How to get a tree ready

Since the program’s inception in 1995, 300,000 trees have been recycled in the region, the university said in a news release.

Last year alone, 10,000 trees transformed into 86 tons of mulch. That saved 1,300 cubic yards of volume in the country’s landfills, according to the news release.

To prepare a tree for donation, officials say to remove extra such as lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments, nails or tree stands. Flocked trees, or those sprayed with artifical snow, cannot be recycled.

Mulch will be available for pickup at Pecos Legacy Park, Acacia Park, Capriola Park Discovery Park in Henderson and other locations from Dec. 28 to Jan. 19. The parks will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and residents must bring their own shovels and containers.

For a full list of drop-off locations, go to the Springs Preserve website.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.