Newtown Scout Troop 270’s Christmas Tree Recycling Program is a fundraising campaign that collects trees from local residents and drops them off for use by Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU).

The campaign allows the scouts to raise funds they can use for scouting events such as summer camp tuition and fees for leadership training or high adventure trips. As the costs of membership and activities continue to rise, fundraisers such as this help ease the burden on the scouts and their families.

About one-third of the trees collected each January are provided to CVTU, which uses the trees to line the banks of local streams to stabilize the banks and prevent erosion.

The balance of the trees are chipped at the Newtown Transfer Station to provide free mulch to town residents.

This year’s collection began last weekend, and continues for two more weekends, through January 20-21.

Registration is required, and available by visiting troop270newtownct.org/donate-shop. Donations are requested, and can be done through the website or left with the trees ahead of pickup. For those wishing to pay via cash/check, select Offline payment at Checkout, which will allow you to continue the checkout process so that the troop can schedule a tree pickup.