Christmas trees turn Lawrence landfill into wildlife habitat
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The city of Lawrence is using its Christmas trees to provide a habitat for wildlife where an old landfill used to sit.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the city's Christmas tree recycling program began in the early 1990s. Solid Waste Operations Supervisor Craig Pruett estimates as many as 50,000 trees have been saved from the city's new landfill and brought to the site.
The old landfill was abandoned decades ago and is located in what's now Riverfront Park near the Kansas River. Pruett says trees are deposited into rows to create a wildlife habitat.
The city's solid waste department will do its annual collection of live-cut Christmas trees in the first week of January.