LOMPOC — The city of Lompoc is offering free Christmas tree pick-up for its residents.
From Jan. 3 to Jan. 7, the Lompoc Solid Waste Division has contracted with West Coast Arborists to collect and recycle Christmas trees.
Customers who wish to have their trees picked up should place their trees three feet away from refuse containers by 7 a.m. on their regularly scheduled trash collection day during the week of Jan. 3.
Customers who miss the scheduled pick-up can drop off their trees at no charge, at the Lompoc City Landfill, 700 Avalon St., Lompoc. Flocked trees can’t be recycled, and must be cut up and placed in the trash bin or brought to the landfill and disposed of, for a fee, according to a news release.
Prior to recycling the trees, all decorations and tree stands must be removed. Once they are collected, West Coast Arborists will grind the trees into mulch. The mulch will then be used as landscape material throughout the city.
Solid waste collection will not be affected by the holidays, with usual collection taking place Monday through Friday. However, the Lompoc City Landfill will be closed Saturday and New Year’s Day.
— Katherine Zehnder