More than 60 families collected bags of litter in return for a free tree during Keep Casper Beautiful’s (KCB) Earth Day event.

Keep Casper Beautiful, a Keep America Beautiful affiliate in Casper, Wyoming, partnered with the downtown public plaza David Street Station for a new Earth Day event called “Trees for Trash.” Community members picked up litter in parks, along streets and in alleyways. The bags of trash were then traded in for a free tree. 

KCB worked with the City of Casper Municipal Arborist to select trees that would grow well in the local mountain community. Three types and sizes of trees were offered, including Tatarian maple (small), Korean mountain ash (medium), and Kentucky coffeetree (large). Arborists and local tree companies were at the event to help determine which type would work best in residents’ yards. 

The trees were purchased from a nursery in Casper, Johnny Appleseed, that potted the saplings and raised them to have leaves for the event day. The greenhouse will be taking back pots from the trees to reuse them.