This is not my favorite part of the Christmas season. I try to stretch out Christmas as long as possible. I love the lights, the decorations, the music and the wonderful feeling of “niceness.” It would be great if we could bottle that up and keep it all year long.
I do get a little sad when I have to take the decorations down. But when it is time to undeck the halls, it means that it is also time to “Bring One for the Chipper.”
It is Christmas-tree recycling time. Live trees are a renewable resource, so you can feel good about using a live tree at Christmas as long as you remember to turn it for recycling after the holiday.
On Jan. 11, we will turn all those trees into useful mulch or give them away for fish habitat in local ponds. “Bring One for the Chipper” is part of a statewide effort that began in 1991. Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation spearheads the project with several state corporate partners — Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Ferry Morse Seed Company and WXIA-TV.  Locally, this annual event is sponsored by Keep Liberty Beautiful, the Georgia Power Company, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the Liberty County Public Works Department and Brewer’s Christmas Tree Farm.  
Why do we do it? There are many good reasons:
• To promote awareness about the benefits of trees. Trees help clean the air and keep the air cool. So we also give out tree seedlings for planting for each tree turned in for recycling.
• To raise awareness about environmental concerns and solutions. Recycling is one of the easiest ways that local citizens can make a positive difference for our environment every day.
• To increase citizen involvement in solutions that help to reduce solid waste.  We are the solution to waste reduction. Our everyday choices about what we buy and what we use and then how we dispose of items determine how much waste is accumulated.
• To support the state yard-trimmings disposal ban by recycling these trees instead of putting them in landfills. Let’s try to recycle these trees so that they can be reused purposefully as mulch or fish habitat or even chopped up for firewood at your home.
• To produce useful mulch for home and community projects for soil enhancement and erosion control. By mulching the trees, we can offer free mulch to local citizens to enhance their landscape and to prevent soil erosion.
• To give out tree seedlings and, this year, vegetable seeds, courtesy of Ferry-Morse, for planting in exchange for recycled trees to beautify our community and to encourage planting.
Through Jan. 11, we will have locations around the county for turning in the trees for recycling. Citizens in Hinesville can have their undecorated trees picked up by OMI. If you are unable to join us on our main “Mulch Day” of Jan. 11, you also can deposit your tree in the designated location at any Liberty County solid-waste convenience center or recycling drop-off center during normal operation hours until Jan. 10. These locations are:
• 25 South Dairy Road (state route 196 West, Gum Branch)
• 156 Pate Rogers Road (Fleming)
• 836 Limerick Road (near Lake George)
• 64 Left Field Road (Highway 84, Miller Park)
• 619 J V Road (west of Hinesville)
• 50 Isle of Wight Road (Midway area)
• 344 Fort Morris Road (East End near Sunbury)
• 111 Carter Road (behind Poole's Deli)
• 129 Sandy Run (off Highway 84)
• 941 E G Miles Parkway ( state route 196W at Training Center)
• Walthourville Public Works site
• 4000 Coastal Highway (Highway 17 in Riceboro)
• Fort Stewart PX
• Main location in Hinesville: The Liberty County Health Department (corner of Highway 84 and Patriot’s Trail)
At our chipper mulch site in Hinesville at the Liberty County Health Department, we will have our annual chipping day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. All participants will receive a tree seedling and vegetable seeds in exchange for each tree brought in, while our supplies last. Remember: All trees dropped off must be undecorated and free of any binding.
The chipper is a simple and effective program that benefits all of us.  Please give this gift to nature this year.

Upcoming KLB events
Through Dec. 31 — Win-dex Award Nominations are open. Nominate your favorite attractive businesses. For more information, call 880-4888 or email klcb@coastalnow.net.