Free pine mulch still available through March 1

Staff Report

LOVES PARK, Ill. — Residents may still find free pine mulch at Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s (KNIB) 13 Christmas Tree Recycling sites through March 1.

“While the mulch piles may be buried in snow right now, people should try to retrieve the mulch as soon as the weather improves,” said Lori Gummow, executive director of KNIB. “The mulch is available only on a first-come, first-served basis, and the sites will be cleaned up in the next few weeks.”

Participants need to bring their own shovel and containers.

The following locations are unmanned, and most are accessible 24 hours a day:

Cherry Valley — Baumann Park;

Loves Park — Martin Park, lot on Park Ridge Road off Riverside Boulevard;

Machesney Park — Behind Village Hall, 300 Machesney Road;

Pecatonica — Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve, near picnic area, 4550 N. Pecatonica Road;

Rockford — Alpine Park, 900 S. Alpine Road; Andrews Park, 800 N. Central Ave.; Blackhawk Park,100 — 15th Ave.; Don Schmid Youth Sports Center; Riverdahl Park off Sandy Hollow; Gambino Park, Pepper Drive west of North Alpine Road; Levings Lake, entrance off Johnston Avenue;

Rockton — Boat ramp parking lot off Hononegah Road; and Williams Tree Farm, 4661 Yale Bridge Road; and

Roscoe — Valley View Farms, 6440 Belvidere Road.

For 25 years, KNIB has engaged all elements of the community to enhance the environment and beauty of the region by reducing, reusing and recycling the world’s resources for future generations. For additional information, call (815) 637-1343, visit the website at www.knib.org, or “like” the organization’s page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/keepnorthernillinoisbeautiful.

From the Feb. 27-March 5, 2013, issue