Colorado Springs TreeCycle turning your tree into a gift that keeps giving

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Six new TreeCycle locations open Saturday, Dec. 3, across Colorado Springs. Residents can recycle their trees, create useful mulch and support local youth sports.

Rocky Top Resources on East Las Vegas Street already begun accepting trees. Their drop off is Monday through Saturday until January 31., 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Starting tomorrow, six additional locations will start accepting trees from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on January 3-4 and 10-11, 2026:

• Memorial Park (Pikes Peak Avenue & Union Blvd.)
• Baptist Road Trailhead (Baptist Road & Old Denver Highway)
• Falcon Trailhead (South of Woodmen Road & McLaughlin Road)
• Cottonwood Creek Park (Dublin Blvd. & Montarbor Drive)
• Martin ‘Ed’ Ragain Field (Barnes Road & Tutt Blvd.)
• Rock Ledge Ranch (Gateway Road & 30th Street)

TreeCycle suggests a $5 donation for each tree drop-off. The money benefits Colorado Springs Youth Sports, which manages the El Pomar Youth Sports Park. Six other Southern Colorado non-profits help staff the different TreeCycle locations, and they each get a percentage of the donations.

El Pomar Youth Sports Park Executive Director Steve Czarnecki said the program has brought in over $400,000 since it started about 25 years ago. He said the community support has had a big impact on the El Pomar renovations over the last two decades, like the new pavilion and field conversions from grass to turf. He said the park hosts over 400,000 visitors for practice and sporting events each year.

"We have over 400,000 visitors here at the youth sports park every year, and tens of thousands of kids coming through and learn about life and life skills, life lessons through sports. That's what we're doing right now," Czarnecki said.

Czarnecki said the non-profit will use the mulch across the different partnering non-profits. Residents can also pick up extra mulch for free at the Colorado Springs Utilities Leon Young Service Center off of S. Hancock Expressway, and the City of Colorado Springs Forestry on Recreation Way (on the West side of the street).

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