Tomorrow: Put out your Christmas tree and local scouts will pick them up
If you’re finding it hard to let go of your tree, but know it’s time, Troop 7062 has you covered.
Saturday marks the return of the local scouts’ annual Christmas Tree Recycling event, which has been running for more than 10 years. Tomorrow, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a dozen scouts will go around American Canyon and load up old trees into trucks driven by parent volunteers. To sign up, text 707-681-1427 or sign up at.troopwebhost.org/troop7062americancanyon/index.htm.
“The troop has been around since before the city incorporated,” said Jasmin Acuna, whose sons, aged 14 and 16, are both scouts. Troop 7062 is co-ed, one of the first in the area to include girls on its roster. Because of these changes, the nationwide organization is now called Scouting America instead of Boy Scouts of America.
According to Acuna, this year, 35 American Canyon residents have signed up to have their trees hauled out for the annual event, which doubles as a fundraiser for the troop. A suggested donation of $10-$15 a tree is encouraged for each pick-up. Every year, they collect around $300 through donations.
Scouts will pick up any tossed Christmas trees they encounter, which can range from 60-100. “It’s a lot,” Acuna said. “Some of these houses in American Canyon are huge so some of the trees are 8 feet or higher.”
Over the years, Christmas habits have changed. “We do notice that there are less trees,” said Acuna. “Trees are getting much more expensive because of the drought from before, and there are aftereffects of the droughts that happened in Oregon.”
Tree collection is as much a service to the scouts as it is to the community. “They’re learning leadership and logistics skills,” said Acuna. While parents help coordinate, scouts plan the route and schedule.
After the trees are collected, scouts take them to six bins placed in Kimberly Park. Parents will prune the trees a bit, and the kids will toss each one into a bin. “That’s one of their favorite things … throwing the tree into the bin. It’s a game for them,” Acuna said, laughing. Sometimes, she added, “they find ornaments, and then they get to keep them.”
