Rio Rancho receives more than 150 trees for recycling program

RIO RANCHO — Dec. 25 is not the end of life for all natural Christmas trees in the City of Vision.

The city and PNM are partnering together on a tree recycling program, allowing residents to drop off their spruce and have it turned into mulch by the corporation and Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Division. The trees can be left at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex, 3501 High Resort Blvd., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan.12, according to a city news release.

Deputy City Manager Peter Wells said in a prepared statement that from Dec. 26-30, nearly 170 trees were donated.

For further comment, Wells referred to a PNM news release, stating that the tree recycling program — which also includes the city of Albuquerque — offers residents "ways to help save valuable landfill space while also generating water savings and protective mulch to help keep local communities beautiful and environmentally friendly." Last year, Rio Rancho and Albuquerque produced about 90,000 pounds of mulch from the program, which was founded more than 30 years ago, according to PNM spokesperson Eric Chavez.

"PNM would like to thank all New Mexicans who participate in the 'tree-cycling' program," he wrote in an email. "This program saves valuable landfill space while simultaneously helping the cities of Rio Rancho and Albuquerque stay beautiful."

Rio Rancho residents Linda and Evan Meltzer, who live in Mariposa, do not celebrate Christmas with live trees but helped themselves to wood chips from the sports complex last year. Three bags of it fit into their SUV. 

"They decomposed in our vegetable garden, made a nice mulch under our fruit trees, providing shade and retaining moisture," the Meltzers said in a social media post.