The holidays have ended and the dumpsters are brimmed with cardboard boxes and Christmas trees.  With people in the generous moods, I am urging them to give back to the environment this post-holiday season and recycle their boxes and Christmas trees.   

Christmas trees are a great tradition as well as an environmentally sound one.  Every acre of Christmas trees planted gives off enough oxygen to meet the needs of 18 people.  However, it would be a shame not to complete the carbon cycle and leave the trees to rot in a landfill rather than be turned into mulch. 

According to Fairfax County code 109.1, every neighborhood is required to recycle.  Not only that, every neighborhood is required to provide a Christmas tree recycling service during the first two weeks of January.  In order to find out how to recycle your Christmas tree, call your property managers office or the local municipal trash collectors.  If you havent done so already, I urge everyone to make this effort and recycle their trees this year. 

Sincerely,

Tory Karg
Mount Vernon