Now that the holiday season is over, Park Forest residents are tasked with disposing of their Christmas trees and holiday lights.

Sustainability Coordinator Carrie Malfeo asks residents not to discard the trees in the garbage but to recycle them instead.

"Trees that are picked up with your regular garbage go directly into a landfill and create methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas," Malfeo said. "So we're asking residents to drop off their undecorated Christmas trees at the Aqua Center parking lot; trees will be chipped to be reused in Village landscaping or available for pick up in the community mulch pile located at the Municipal garage at 75 Park St."

Malfeo said the process is a win-win for residents because, during landscaping season, a truckload of mulch or compost can be delivered to residents' homes for a small fee. She added residents could pick up the mulch for free any time of the year. 

Malfeo reiterated that holiday lights are not accepted in your regular curbside recycling and must be sent to an electronics recycling company. 

The Village has partnered with Gaby Iron and Metal, a local metal recycling company, to make Christmas light recycling available to residents at no charge.

Residents can drop off the lights in marked bins in the Village Hall lobby, and the drop-off location for Christmas trees is the Aqua Center parking lot. The Village will accept the recycled items until Jan 19.