How to recycle trees and brush this season

Yes, it is that time of year again. For those of you who are wondering what to do with your Christmas tree, the City of Shafter has a drop-off location that is available.

They are accepting trees at the City of Shafter Corporation Yard at 550 N. Shafter Ave., at the corner of East Tulare and North Shafter Avenues.

They will be open five days a week, Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are asking that you remove the tree stands, nails and decorations from the tree before bringing it to the location. You can also take your tree to the Shafter/Wasco Landfill at 17621 Scofield Avenue.

It is also time for the city’s annual brush and limbs collection. The schedule for the pickup service is as follows: Jan. 1-15, they will be picking up piles north of Lerdo Highway. Jan. 16-31, they will be south of Lerdo Highway. In February, north of Lerdo Highway will be picked up Feb. 1-15 and south of Lerdo Highway will be Feb. 16-28.

There are guidelines to follow to make sure that your limbs and brush will be picked up. You need to leave piles in public streets, they cannot be placed in alleys. You also need to make piles less than 10 feet in length, and they also must be two feet apart from each other.

The city asks residents to make sure that stumps and limbs are smaller than one foot wide. If you have palm trees, they must be placed in a separate pile. You cannot mix leaves and limbs in the same pile. They must be separated or they will not be picked up. You also cannot block walkways or gutters. Make sure the piles are not clogging or blocking them.

Piles that do not meet these requirements will not be picked up and are the owner’s responsibility. If you have questions, you can call the City of Shafter at 661-746-5001, or look on their Facebook page for more information.