CHICAGO — Don't toss that old Christmas tree in the trash or the alley, the city says.
As part of its annual effort to keep Christmas trees out of landfills, the city is offering 23 sites where trees can be left and recycled into mulch.
"The city's Christmas tree recycling program is an easy an environmentally-friendly alternative for residents to dispose of their trees," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "Each year through the Christmas tree recycling program, we are able to divert thousands of Christmas trees away from landfills for reuse in our community."
Beginning Jan. 3 and lasting until Jan. 21, trees can be dropped off at the tree corrals set up in these 23 parks:
• Bessemer Park, 8930 S. Muskegon Ave.
• Clark Park, 3400 N. Rockwell St.
• Dept. of Forestry Site, 900 E. 103rd St.
• Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
• Grant Park, 900 S. Columbus Dr.
• Humboldt Park Boathouse, 1369 N. Sacramento Ave.
• Jackson Park, 6300 S. Cornell Ave.
• Kennedy Park, 2427 W. 113th St.
• Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave.
• Lake Meadows Park, 3117 S. Rhodes Ave.
• Lincoln Park, Cannon Drive at Fullerton Avenue
• Margate Park, 4921 N. Marine Dr.
• Marquette Park, 6700 S. Kedzie Ave.
• McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
• Mount Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St.
• North Park Village, 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
• Norwood Park, 5801 N. Natoma Ave.
• Portage Park, 4100 N. Long Ave.
• Riis Park, 6201 W. Wrightwood Ave.
• Rowan Park, 11546 S. Avenue L
• Sheridan Park, 910 S. Aberdeen St.
• Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave.
• Wentworth Park, 5701 S. Narragansett Ave.
Residents can pick up mulch made from recycled trees at: Warren Park, North Park Village, Mt Greenwood Park, Margate Park, Lincoln Park, Dept. of Forestry site. The mulch will be available starting Jan. 6.
In 2014, the city mulched nearly 18,000 trees, officials say.
Trees must be free of tinsel and other trinkets.
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