Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

It is Tree Mulching Time with Bring One For The Chipper! While most people are winding down from the holiday, Keep Liberty Beautiful is gearing up for one of its most busy and wonderful family events of the year.

For families with a live Christmas tree in their home, KLB has an excellent way for you to repurpose its use. Have you ever wondered how the Christmas tree became integral to celebrating our holidays? During the 7th Century, some people believe St. Boniface invented it. There are different legends regarding how St. Boniface created the Christmas tree. Some claim he used the triangle shape of the fir tree to symbolize the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to pagans who already used trees as part of their rituals.

To recycle your live Christmas tree, it’s important to remove the decorations from your tree before dropping it off for recycling. While artificial trees and wreaths are pretty and convenient, we cannot mulch them. Georgia Power Company graciously provides the equipment and workforce to mulch all the trees for Liberty County. So, please remember to “undecorate” those live trees for mulching.

On January 4, 2025, you can bring your tree and witness the chipper mulch on-site at the Liberty County Hinesville Recycling Transfer Station, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. It’s a convenient and enjoyable day for the whole family, so don’t miss out. Plus, everyone who drops by on January 4th can pick up tree seedlings and vegetable and flower seeds while our supplies last.

KLB will also host the Hinesville Recycle It! Fair and Shred It! Day event in conjunction with Bring One For The Chipper! The shred truck from Savannah Shredding Company will be at the Hinesville Recycling Transfer Station from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. to securely shred your old documents and personal information that you no longer need.

This is a secure way to protect yourself from identity theft. What types of items should you think about shredding? The Federal Trade Commission suggests shredding these items: old sales receipts, paid credit card statements, credit offers, ATM receipts, expired warranties, canceled checks that are not tax-related, old pay stubs, bank statements, and paid undisputed medical bills. After seven years, consider shredding tax-related receipts and canceled checks, W-2s, and records of tax deductions taken. Your efforts to shred these items can make a significant difference and empower you to protect your identity and the environment.

Here is also a list of the items you can bring to the Hinesville Recycle It! Fair for recycling or disposal:

• E-waste includes electronics such as computers, printers, monitors, and any computer accessories, stereo equipment and televisions, and cell phones and accessories. For your security, all hard drives are wiped clean.

• Household paint as long as the cans are sealed well, not rusted, and at least half full. If your cans are not in good condition, add cat litter or sand to the paint, let it completely dry up, and then dispose of the cans in your regular garbage. We can only collect paint that is in an acceptable condition to reuse, so please follow the above information.

• CFLs and fluorescent light bulbs

• Used motor oil and antifreeze as well as car batteries. At the Midway and Walthourville sites, we can accept car batteries. Still, we can only accept the oil and antifreeze in clean, disposable containers. (Remember always to recycle motor oil and antifreeze as soon as possible. Never pour these items down the drain or into a storm drain or dump them.)

• Household batteries

• Telephone books and large sale catalogs

• Hardback books, paperbacks, and textbooks

• Prescription Take-Back for any old prescription and over-the-counter medications you need to dispose of. Never flush these items down the toilet, as they have a detrimental effect on our waterways, aquatic life, and humans!

• Household goods, clothes, and shoes (in clean, decent condition, please).

So, join KLB for Bring One For The Chipper and the Hinesville Recycle It! Fair on Saturday, January 4, 2025! This is just one more way to give a precious gift to the earth for the Holidays! For more information on Christmas tree recycling and the Hinesville Recycle It! Fair, contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888 or klcb@libertycountyga. gov or check our information on www. keeplibertybeautiful.org.