BILLINGS — A Billings area non-profit organization is helping to keep the circle of life going with11 different locations to drop your Christmas trees off to be recycled this year.
It's a free and easy way to start 2025 off by helping the community.
"It seems to be growing even though you would think people would be more inclined to get artificial trees, but the popularity of fresh cut trees continues. It's a great tradition," said Joanie Tooley, the executive director of Bright n' Beautiful, the organization behind the project.
Recycling Christmas trees is a tradition Bright n' Beautiful has been doing for over 30 years. The organization's goal is to make the community green and clean.
"It's just for the well being of our community. You know, everybody wants to be able to look out a window and see a beautiful, unlittered landscape," Tooley said.
Tooley believes one small act for our environment can go a long way.
"We want to help people make and keep their environment clean and healthy. We believe every community, every person, deserves to live in a bright and beautiful, clean and green community," she said.
Last year, the organization collected about 5,500 used trees. The tradition has grown over time, as in 2021 and 2022, the organization raised about 5,000 trees.
Christmas tree drop off locations are available all over Billings, Laurel, Lockwood, Shepherd, and Huntley.
See MTN's previous reporting for all locations.
The most popular location in Yellowstone County is ZooMontana.
"What we like to do is build forts for the animal. We also use it as a browse, our porcupines, pine trees are a big source of food for them," said Allyson Dredla, ZooMontana's behavior enrichment coordinator.
Dredla loves to bring the zoo's animals fresh trees for food and enrichment purposes.
"We're also giving some to the bears tonight. The bear cubs are still little busy bodies, so we'll give them something to do, something to play with," she said.
ZooMontana also uses the recycled tree materials to repair their trails with mulch.
The mulch is produced at Rocky Mountain Compost. On January 19, the trees will be collected from all the locations and taken to the compost, then shredded into small pieces.
That mulch can then be used for trails at Montana Audubon and local playgrounds.
"All of those wonderful containers, and there's many around town, all of those are pulled all the way to Lockwood for our friends at Rocky Mountain Compost," Tooley said.
Bright n' Beautiful's project is proof that keeping recycling local makes it that much more meaningful.
