NEWBERRY COUNTY — When you get ready to take down your live Christmas tree this year consider donating it to the Grinding of the Greens, through Keep Newberry County Beautiful (KNCB).
This annual event turns your former tree into something new — mulch.
“Grinding of the Greens fits the mission of KNCB, reusing materials. You get a second purpose out of something that would just go to traditional waste streams, diverting it for another purpose,” said Joseph Berry, district coordinator for the Newberry Soil and Water Conservation District, which runs KNCB.
KNCB will begin collecting Christmas trees on Dec. 26, and will continue to do so until the day of the grinding on Jan. 11.
“If someone brings their tree that day, we will grind it as long as we are still there,” Berry said.
Trees can be dropped off in the parking lot of Lowe’s (2911 Main Street, Newberry). Berry said folks can drop off their trees in the side parking lot of Lowe’s, and they will have signs that will lead the way. He also said the area will be blocked off so people can drop off their trees with ease.
When it comes to dropping off a tree, Berry asks all residents to please make sure they are clean — meaning they are free of tinsel, ornaments and ribbon, nothing artificial. Also, Berry said in the past they have had some artificial trees dropped off, he said those cannot be turned into mulch and to not donate them.
For City of Newberry residents, KNCB and the city will be partnering for this project — meaning City of Newberry residents only have to take their live trees to the curb. The city will once again be donating the community Christmas tree — located downtown — to be turned into mulch.
“Keep Newberry County Beautiful provides many great services for our community and the Grinding of the Greens is no exception,” said City Manager Matt DeWitt. “It’s an initiative to be more conscious about our waste stream, which is something we’re proud to partner with them on.”
On Jan. 11 — from 9 a.m. until noon — KNCB along with the Newberry Electric Cooperative will begin to grind the donated trees into mulch. Berry said they will be giving out the mulch free to anyone interested; however, to get free mulch you have to be there on Jan. 11 between 9 a.m. until noon.
“We will not provide bags or buckets, anything like that, anyone interested needs to bring their own way of transporting it back home. The Newberry Electric Cooperative will have a loader on site, and they can put it in the back of a truck or trailer,” Berry said.
When it comes to the KNCB partners, Berry said all of the entities are great to work with. He added that the Cooperative is providing manpower and equipment for the day.
“If we didn’t have our partners we wouldn’t be able to hold Grinding of the Greens,” Berry said. “KNCB’s mission is to promote beautification, recycling and litter prevention within the community. Grinding of the Greens fits into that because it is diverting trees that would normally go into a waste landfill.”