As Valley residents pick up storm debris, in a lot of cases, the trees that are discarded go to the landfill. But now, the city of Phoenix has a way to divert palm tree fronds.
Palm Silage is a California-based palm recycling business. The company is able to grind up dried palm fronds and turn them into food for livestock.
Phoenix is partnering with the company to collect clean palm fronds at the 27th Avenue Transfer Station. The price of palm-frond recycling is discounted from the standard rate of $38.25 per ton down to a rate of $24 per ton.
Stacy Hettmansperger, an operations manager for the Phoenix Public Works Department, said the fronds must be clean to get recycled.
"Palm Silage doesn't want the trunks or the stumps," Hettmansperger said. "They also don't want other green waste, yard trimmings, which makes sense if you think about the ultimate destination for these palm fronds is going to be livestock feed."
This is one of the city's moves to divert about 40 percent of trash from landfills.