Recycle your Christmas tree, Xmas lights

Carlton County residents are encouraged to recycle Christmas trees during Treecycling, a free program with drop-off locations throughout the region. Christmas trees, like yard waste, are banned from landfills in Minnesota.

Dispose of trees properly by bringing them to a Treecycling site.

Remove all ornaments, tinsel, lights, tree stands and tree bags before bringing trees in. Here are the locations:

-SAPPI Fine Paper (gatehouse entrance), Avenue B in Cloquet through Jan. 31.

-​​Moose Lake Compost and Recycling Site, 2-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Jan. 31.

-WLSSD Yard Waste Compost Site, 2626 Courtland St., Duluth, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 31.

Do not toss trees and greenery into backyard woods or residential compost piles, which can spread the invasive species or disease. Wreaths and other decorative greens can be disposed of in trash cans.

Pests of concern include elongate hemlock scale, a small insect established in the eastern U.S. where many decorative Fraser firs are grown. Feeding damage caused by this invasive insect can cause the needles of hemlocks, firs, and spruces to yellow and prematurely drop. Also, boxwood blight, a fungal disease, and round leaf bittersweet, an invasive noxious weed, are sometimes found on wreaths and centerpieces and can endanger native trees and other landscaping.

Recycle holiday lights

It’s free to dispose of your unwanted or no longer working holiday lights at the Carlton

County Transfer Station located at 1950 Highway 210. Rope lights, extension cords, appliance cords and telephone cords are also accepted. The transfer station is open 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, except on holidays.

Before recycling, please remove all decorations and remove lights from any type of plastic spool, cardboard packaging, or plastic bags. Place the clean string lights in the correct box at the Transfer Station.