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Bring One for the Chipper
The Bring One for the Chipper program became an annual, statewide event in 1991. Keep Georgia Beautiful, under the direction of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, spearheads the Christmas tree recycling program by bringing together news media, local governments, businesses, and industries to educate Georgians about recycling and environmental conservation. The Chipper program is an outgrowth of the Christmas tree recycling program that was started in 1987 by the Atlanta Clean City Commission, Fulton County Clean Community Commission, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and the Atlanta-Fulton County Parks and Recreation Department.
Each year, Keep Georgia Beautiful works with statewide sponsors to organize the recycling event. In the past, these sponsors have included The Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Georgia Power, The Home Depot USA, Inc., The Davey Tree Expert Company and WXIA-TV. The amount of donated funds and services has exceeded $100,000 a year. Numerous local sponsors and volunteers also make contributions and provide in-kind services across the state.
Every community in Georgia is encouraged to coordinate a local event on the first Saturday after January 1. Statewide sponsors provide publicity for the event including newspaper articles, flyers, and radio and television public service announcements. Sponsors also provide free seedlings for participants to take home. The collected trees are chipped for mulch or used for fuel and some are sunk into lakes to establish wildlife habitats.
Each year, the Chipper program involves hundreds of Georgia communities and thousands of volunteers. Since its inception, the program has recycled more than two million Christmas trees. The mulch from these trees has been used for playgrounds, local government beautification projects, and individual yards. This program continues to provide an excellent model of a public-private partnership that benefits all Georgians.