Once the holidays are over and your natural holiday tree is starting to look a little dry and tired, and maybe even becoming a fire hazard, it can still be of use to JCPRD.
Post-holiday contributions of discarded natural Christmas trees will again be accepted at four Johnson County Park and Recreation District park locations from Dec. 26 through Jan. 31.
Unfortunately another tree-related event, the Kansas City WildLands’ annual Red Cedar Christmas Tree Day, will not be happening this year. This event removes eastern red cedar trees as part of prairie restoration projects, and provides them as low-cost holiday trees to interested local residents.
JCPRD’s tree disposal sites include: the Sunflower access point of the new Big Bull Creek Park at 20245 Sunflower Road in Edgerton; the Theatre in the Park parking lot in Shawnee Mission Park with an entrance at 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee (separate from the park’s main entrance); the Heritage Park Marina parking lot, 16050 Pflumm Road, Olathe; and the north side of the parking lot at the marina at Kill Creek Park, 11670 Homestead Lane, Olathe.
Trees will be collected during regular winter park hours, which are 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., except at Shawnee Mission Park, which opens at 6 a.m. in the winter.
In 2019, several hundred trees were "recycled." Some of the trees are mulched for use on trails and in landscaping, while others are used to improve fish habitat in district lakes.
No yard waste will be accepted - only Christmas trees. Wrappers should be removed from the discarded trees as well as any remaining decorations; particularly "icicles" and decorations made from mylar, shiny plastic, or aluminum.
There is no charge for the disposal of trees, and these tree disposal sites are open to anyone regardless of residency. For additional information, call Visitor Services at the JCPRD Administration Building in Shawnee Mission Park at (913) 888-4713.