Georgia Power Company has announced the return of its “Bring One for the Chipper” program, giving people a way to safely and cleanly dispose of old Christmas trees through recycling.

This year's program will be from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8. In appreciation for their recycling efforts, each participant will receive a free tree seedling, while supplies last.

Participating outlets in Fayette County include Kroger on N. Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree City, the recycling center at Ga. Highway 74 and Rockaway Road in Peachtree City, Home Depot at the Fayette Pavilion, Harp's Farm Market on S. Ga. Highway 92 in Fayetteville, Redwine Park in Tyrone, and the Fayette County transfer station on First Manassas Mile Road.

By recycling trees, Georgians comply with the 1996 yard-waste ban in landfills, acquire free mulch for landscaping and help build fish habitats in Georgia's lakes, according to a Georgia Power press release.

As part of the statewide effort to reuse Christmas trees, Georgia Power is once again partnering with Keep Georgia Beautiful, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Georgia-Pacific, WXIA-TV and local sponsors to provide convenient sites for area residents to drop off their trees.

The year 2000 marks the ninth anniversary of “Bring One for the Chipper,” which has collected 2.5 million trees and provided one million tree seedlings to participants during its previous eight years. Last year 327,578 trees were collected.

“This annual event diverts more than 300,000 Christmas trees annually from landfills throughout the state and reinforces the steps we need to take to keep all yard waste from being disposed in landfills,” said Heather Leo, Keep Georgia Beautiful's program coordinator. “This is one simple way to reduce the amount of waste entering landfills.”

One often overlooked benefit of recycling the trees is the opportunity to receive free mulch for landscaping. The Davey Tree Expert Company provides chipping equipment at several locations around the state and will be mulching the trees as they come in Jan. 8.

In addition to landscaping, the mulch is great for children's play areas. Churches, day care centers and schools are encouraged to use the mulch from the chipper program for their playgrounds. Interested parties should phone Chris Helm at Davey Tree, 770-451-7911, for information about the availability of mulch.

This will be the fourth year that Georgia Power fish biologist Scott Hendricks has used trees to create fish habitats in Lake Burton. Last year, Georgia Power and Department of Human Resources employees placed about 600 trees in the lake.

Hendricks will partner with the DNR in late January and is hoping to use about 1,000 trees this year. He is also working with a youth bass fishing club to place about 250 trees in Lake Jackson. Placing the trees in the lake enhances the entire ecosystem.

“The trees provide a place for micro-organisms to grow, which attract the young or small fish,” said Hendricks. “In turn, the small fish attract the larger bass and crappie who are looking for an easy meal. Where the large fish gather is where you will find the anglers.”

For a complete listing of Christmas tree collection sites, check out the “Bring One for the Chipper” web site at www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org.