Dozen locations open across Kamloops recycling real Christmas trees for free

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops is set to help residents recycle their Christmas trees.

The city has set up 12 locations around the community for residents to drop of their real Christmas trees free of charge. Some of the sites around the city include Albert McGowan Park and the Yacht Club along River Street.

“Those sites are available on our website or if you are a user of the WasteWise app, it’s a fantastic way of finding out where those sites are. Drop the trees off for free, they get hauled to the Cinnamon Ridge compost facility, turned into compost that we use all around the city in our parks, in our flower beds — residents are able to access it as well. It’s a real great way to recycle a product,” said Greg Wightman, Utility and Environmental Services Divisional Manager for the City of Kamloops.

Since 1990, the city has recycled more than 184,000 Christmas trees.

The city asks residents to ensure they have stripped the trees of all decorations and lights before dropping them off.

“Take the time to make sure that the tinsel is off, the lights are off. We just want the tree and that can be recycled,” said Wightman. “The sites are open until January 15, so we have a bit of time to accept it all, and hopefully everyone takes their trees there.”