MACON (AP) - Hundreds of trees have been planted in an attempt to soak up the pollution from a contaminated industrial site in Macon.

Experts say 376 trees were planted recently at the site, next to a city park. They say their roots will act as straws to drink up contaminated groundwater.

David Brownlee, acting manager of the hazardous sites response program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, says it is one of the first hazardous waste sites in Georgia to use the technique.

The Telegraph of Macon reports (http://bit.ly/H6w7Rm) that the method is called phytoremediation. It uses plants to break down organic pollutants into harmless materials within the plant's tissues.

The trees, all about a year old, were planted on land where railroad ties and telephone poles were once treated with creosote.