St. Charles Parish residents will be able to recycle live Christmas trees beginning Jan. 7 with curbside pickup by Public Works Crews continuing through Jan. 9.

Residents may also drop off Christmas trees at the East and West Bank Bridge Parks in Destrehan or Luling until Jan. 9.

Trees must be bare and free of all decorations, lights, stands and tinsel. Flocked trees cannot be accepted into the program.

Trees used in the recycling effort are used to construct fences in the St. Charles Parish Wetlands to trap sediment and help rebuild the marsh. The parish has been participating in this state-funded program for over 22 years, according to Earl Matherne, St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Management Administrator. So far the program has built approximately 10 acres of new marsh in St. Charles Parish and protected countless more from being washed away. About 1.5 million trees have already been used in erosion-control projects since the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources started the program.

For more information about Christmas tree recycling, call the Department of Planning and Zoning at (985) 783-5060.

The mission of St. Charles Parish government is to provide high quality, efficient services to sustain and enhance the quality of life for all residents of St. Charles Parish.