Georgia Power is a proud sponsor of the 10th Annual “Bring One for the Chipper” program on Jan. 6, 2001 because of the many benefits recycling Christmas trees offers to Georgians. By recycling the trees, Georgians comply with the 1996 yard-waste ban in landfills, acquire free mulch for landscaping and help build fish habitats in Georgia’s lakes.

As part of the statewide effort to reuse Christmas trees, Georgia Power is once again partnering with Keep Georgia Beautiful, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Georgia-Pacific, WXIA-TV and local sponsors to provide more than 400 convenient sites across the state for residents to drop off their trees.

This year’s program will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2001. In appreciation for their recycling efforts, participants will receive a free tree seedling, while supplies last.

2001 marks the 10th anniversary of “Bring One for the Chipper,” which has collected more than 2.5 million trees and provided one million tree seedlings to participants during its previous nine years. Last year 271,640 trees were collected.

“Each year this event diverts hundreds of thousands of trees from landfills throughout the state and reinforces the importance of conserving landfill space by finding alternative ways to dispose of all yard waste,” said Sarah Visser, Keep Georgia Beautiful’s statewide coordinator. “It also helps communities promote the importance of recycling and environmental conservation.”

One often-overlooked benefit of recycling the trees is the opportunity to receive free mulch for landscaping. The Davey Tree Expert Company provides chipping equipment at several locations around the state and will be mulching the trees as they come in on Jan. 6. In addition to landscaping, the mulch is also great for children’s play areas. Churches, daycare centers and schools are encouraged to use the mulch from the chipper program for their playgrounds. Interested parties should call Chris Heim at Davey Tree, 770-451-7911, for information about the availability of mulch.

2001 will also be the fifth year that Georgia Power fish biologist Scott Hendricks will utilize trees to create fish habitats in Lake Burton. Last year, Georgia Power and Department of Natural Resources employees placed about 1000 trees in the lake. Hendricks will partner with the DNR in January and is hoping to use about 1,000 trees this year. He is also working with a youth bass fishing club to place about 250 trees in Lake Jackson and is exploring the possibilities of using trees in other Georgia Power lakes. Placing the trees in the lake enhances the whole ecosystem.

“The trees provide a place for micro-organisms to grow, which attract the young or small fish. In turn, the small fish attract the larger bass and crappie who are looking for an easy meal,” Hendricks said. “In addition to providing the attractors for anglers, we will also install more spawning benches in hopes of increasing the fish population.”

For a complete listing of Christmas tree collection sites by zip code, check the “Bring One for the Chipper” website at www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org. or call 1-800-Cleanup.