Recycle Christmas trees and support a safe and sober Grad Night

When Christmas is over and the once-fragrant Douglas or noble fir tree is drooping and shedding needles all over the carpet, call members of the Oak Park High School (OPHS) Grad Night 2005 Christmas tree pickup and recycling program to haul the tree away.

The door-to-door pickup of trees is limited to Oak Park and Agoura Hills. The cost is $20 and is tax-deductible. Proceeds will support the Oak Park High School Grad Night, which is planned at a "safe and sober environment," according to Joy Schroeder, a member of the Grad Night committee.

Last year the committee made $8,000 for the celebration. "We’re trying to make it safe and sober, because (the students) spent all these years together, and this is their last night together to share their memories," Schroeder said.

The trees will be delivered to a recycling center and ground into mulch after they’re picked up at the curbside. Mulch can be used as compost and added to other plantings. This enriches the soil, inhibits weed growth and prevents excessive evaporation and erosion.

Four dates are available for tree collections: Wed. and Thurs., Dec. 29 and 30, and Sun. and Tues., Jan. 2 and 4.

Before recycling trees, all ornaments, nails, tinsel and metal support rods must be removed.

For further information, contact Wendy Totten at (818) 597-0069, Toni Weireter at (818) 991-2514 or Joy Schroeder at (818) 577-5213.

––Stephanie Bertholdo