A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Two ways for Cov residents to recycle Christmas trees; trash, recycling schedule for New Year’s week


Some people treat Christmas as a month-long holiday that extends long after Dec. 25. But other people are already feeling antsy: It’s two days after Christmas, they say, and that tree just has to go.

If you decorated your house with a natural tree and you’re already thinking about stripping it of ornaments and getting rid of it, we can help you with the latter.

Covington residents have two ways to recycle their tree – have it picked up from your curb on garbage collection day starting Jan. 4, or drop it off at one of three locations starting Friday.

“We’re making it as easy as possible, because we don’t want trees to end up in landfills,” said Sheila Fields, the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator. “Instead, we want to turn them into usable mulch.”

Fields’ Division is partnering with the Department of Public Works’ Urban Forestry Division, Rumpke Waste & Recycling, and Keep Covington Beautiful for the Christmas Tree Recycling Program. It presents two options:

One, curbside pickup will take place Jan. 4-18. Residents must contact Rumpke at (800) 828-8171 or covington@rumpke.com 48 hours in advance to request their tree be picked up. The pickup will happen on regular garbage and recycling collection days.

Or two, residents can also drop off trees from Friday through Jan. 18 at three different locations:

• In South Covington at the parking lot off of Tripoli and Hands Pike, adjacent to Neighborhood Park.

• At the Devou Park Urban Forestry Garage at 1700 Montague Road in Devou Park.

• In the parking lot at the foot of Greenup Street underneath the Roebling Suspension Bridge.

Residents can call (859) 292-4417 for more information about the tree drop-offs or see HERE for information about the Christmas Tree Recycling Program.

Residents should prepare their trees by removing all lights, ornaments, tinsel, and other decorations. Trees should notbe placed in plastic bags.

The recycled trees will be converted into mulch which will be used by the Urban Forestry Division and offered to residents and neighborhood groups for community gardens and neighborhood beautification efforts. To schedule a mulch pickup, call Public Works at (859) 292-2292.

“Every year, roughly 40 million tons of compostable yard waste end up in landfills in the United States,” Fields said. “Recycling Christmas trees reduces this number and allows us to give a gift to our community.”

Garbage, recycling schedule for New year’s week

Don’t fret about the wadded-up wrapping paper, empty wine bottles, and the remains of Aunt Gertrude’s fruitcake building up in your City-issued garbage and recycling carts.

You will be able to get rid of all that stuff next week. It just will be a day later than usual in some areas.

That’s because the solid waste and recycling collection schedule in the City of Covington is slightly different during New Year’s week because of the holiday.

The schedule for the Dec. 31-Jan. 5 week will be thus:

Monday: Rumpke will collect garbage and recycling as usual.

Tuesday-Friday: Service will be delayed one day (a la Tuesday routes are moved to Wednesday, Wednesday routes to Thursday and so on).

Remember to follow rules on bulk items: One bulk item (separate from your regular garbage cart) each week, with many items requiring wrapping or tying.

For more information on trash and recycling in the City, click HERE.

City of Covington


Related Posts

Leave a Comment