Christmas seemed to be over in a blink this year, so I have kept my tiny evergreen tree up in the dining room, decorated with mix-matched ornaments, to serve as a fragrant reminder that it is still — officially anyway — the holiday season.
As the drooping branches and dropping needles have proven, it can't stay this way much longer. Luckily, the City of Houston offers a free option for responsible disposal with the Residential Christmas Tree Recycling Program.
Houstonians can drop off their trees at one of 18 area locations between now and Jan. 8 (except New Year's Day), or can place their tree on the curb on a scheduled tree waste day (search by ZIP code here).
Rather than taking up valuable landfill space, the collected trees will be ground into mulch and made available in bulk from local retailers including Living Earth Technology, a Houston-based company that has been returning organic waste to beneficial reuse for more than 20 years.
Just don't forget to take the decorations off first.
