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Recyclers' Corner: December 2009 Issue
Treecycle 2010
January 4th – 15th
 
Make recycling your Christmas tree your first New Years resolution in 2010.  Recycling your Christmas tree is as easy as can be.  Denver residents just need to follow these simple guidelines:
 

1. Remove all tinsel and decorations from your Christmas tree.  Real Christmas trees only (No artificial or flocked trees, tree stands or trees in plastic bags).

2.  Manual & Barrel customers should set trees out on their normal trash collection day during the two week period starting January 4th.  Dumpster customers should set trees out for collection on January 4th or January 11th and the trees will be collected during that week.

3. Be sure your tree is set out by 7 AM on your collection day and at least 4 feet away from any containers, bags, dumpsters or other obstacles.

4.  Do not place trees in dumpsters or carts.

The Christmas trees are then ground-up and the resulting mulch is made available free to Denver residents at the annual “Treecycle Mulch Giveaway & LeafDrop Compost Sale”.  Recycling your tree saves landfill space, helps Denver avoid landfill disposal fees, and allows the City to provide residents with free mulch made from the recycled Christmas trees.
 
Residents may call 720-865-6810 after April 1st for more information about when the 2010 Treecycle Mulch Giveaway & LeafDrop Compost Sale will be held.
 
For more information about Treecycle and other Denver Recycles programs call 3-1-1 or visit us online at DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.  
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Editor's Note:
Recyclers' Corner is a monthly news column sponsored by Denver Recycles, a program of Denver Public Works/Solid Waste Management. It includes updates on seasonal and ongoing activities related to the City and County of Denver's recycling programs. Editors are invited to publish all or part of the column, however, we request that you run major edits by our staff to ensure accuracy of the information. Questions may be directed to Charlotte Pitt or Tom Strickland, Denver Recycles, 720-865-6815.
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Recycling Myth Busters
Recycling Myth Busters:
Learn the Truth.  Part 12 of 12

There are a lot of myths about recycling passed along from person to person.  We are here to explain some of those myths, so you can be the best recycler possible.
 
Myth:  We don't need to recycle to save trees because we already grow new trees to replace the ones we cut down. 

FALSE.  In fact, recycling (specifically recycling paper products) greatly reduces the pressure to turn natural forests into tree farms.  Our demand for paper and wood products seems to be ever growing.  Recycling paper can supply manufacturing companies with the old paper fibers they need to make new paper products, so they don’t need to use trees from natural or “old growth” forests. 
 
A popular misconception is that all our wood and fiber products come from tree farms (lands where trees are planted and harvested over and over again).  However, cutting down trees in old growth forests continues today in order to generate enough fiber material to meet product demand.  Paper fibers can only be recycled a limited number of times before they become too weak and break apart.  This means that in order to meet demand, manufacturers need a continuous new supply of recycled paper. So, the more paper we can recycle the less pressure there is to cut down new trees, thus less pressure to invade old growth forests.  The demand for recycled fiber material exists and all we need to do is keep feeding it.  It is estimated that if all the newspapers in the U.S. were recycled for just one day, that it would lessen the need to cut down 41,000 trees (Worldwatch Institute).
 
Recycling paper is even more important in old growth forests when you take into account the global demand for paper and wood products.  In many less developed countries, the forests are clear cut and no trees are replanted.  Often, once an area is stripped of all trees, the soil is degraded to a point where growing trees again on that land is not possible for decades or centuries.  Placing less strain on these resources can help lead to better management of forests, reduced environmental damage and more sustainable economies in these countries.
 
For more information about recycling paper visit us online at DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.  
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Back Issues
For back issues of the Recycles' Corner please visit the Press Releases page.
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In fact, recycling (specifically recycling paper products) greatly reduces the pressure to turn natural forests into tree farms.  Our demand for paper and wood products seems to be ever growing.  Recycling paper can supply manufacturing companies with the old paper fibers they need to make new paper products, so they don’t need to use trees from natural or “old growth” forests.   A popular misconception is that all our wood and fiber products come from tree farms (lands where trees are planted and harvested over and over again).  However, cutting down trees in old growth forests continues today in order to generate enough fiber material to meet product demand.  Paper fibers can only be recycled a limited number of times before they become too weak and break apart.  This means that in order to meet demand, manufacturers need a continuous new supply of recycled paper. So, the more paper we can recycle the less pressure there is to cut down new trees, thus less pressure to invade old growth forests.  The demand for recycled fiber material exists and all we need to do is keep feeding it.  It is estimated that if all the newspapers in the U.S. were recycled for just one day, that it would lessen the need to cut down 41,000 trees (Worldwatch Institute).   Recycling paper is even more important in old growth forests when you take into account the global demand for paper and wood products.  In many less developed countries, the forests are clear cut and no trees are replanted.  Often, once an area is stripped of all trees, the soil is degraded to a point where growing trees again on that land is not possible for decades or centuries.  Placing less strain on these resources can help lead to better management of forests, reduced environmental damage and more sustainable economies in these countries.   For more information about recycling paper visit us online at DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.  
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