Have you seen this guy recently? He's one of several workers from Beacon's Highway Department who is driving around in a red truck for the month of January, scanning the sidewalks for discarded Christmas trees. If you're lucky, he might even hand you a previously undetected ornament from your tree before he hauls it into his truck. Or in my case, my son's "squishy football" that disappeared over the holidays and we were sure it was lost in Ohio somewhere. Who knew it disappeared into the tree?

Where Do Discarded Christmas Trees Go?

They go to Beacon's Transfer Station, which had been known as The Town Dump until recently. Like the name suggests, the trees are transferred into something else! Wood chips, which Beacon residents can pick up in the spring, to be used in your landscaping. Which is why your tree needs to be free of ornaments and not in a plastic bag when you set it outside. If you're from "The City," you may be used to hauling your tree to the sidewalk still filled with ornaments and maybe even lights. From my days of living down there, I remember walking past plenty of fully decorated trees - ornaments and all. Perhaps there wasn't enough room to store the decorative ornaments that held no meaning, and perhaps the tree owners bought new lights each season. (It worked out for me - I scavenger-hunted for decorations from trees and scored three giant pine cones covered in gold glitter!)

But not here! Once set curbside, trees need to be free and clear of any decor so that they can go to the chopper and get back to nature.

Tips for Hauling Out Your Christmas Tree

Inside: Cover your tree with two sheets.
First, make sure that the water from your tree stand has been emptied. If, like some people we know, you forgot to water your tree all season, then this won't be a problem. Put one sheet on the floor, then lay your Christmas tree on top of it. Put the second sheet on top of the tree to keep flying needles to a minimum. You will still have needles to sweep up after you drag it out, but it will be more manageable. Remove the sheets once you bring the tree to the sidewalk.

Outside: Put your tree on the sidewalk, lying down.
If you prop your tree up against a fence, it will look like a living, rooted tree to a Highway Department employee driving by.

If you see a red truck in your neighborhood, get your tree curbside - quick!
The Highway Department gets assigned to a grid of the city each day. When they are not super busy with other projects, assigned trucks will drive around a grid of town for the day. So if you see a truck in your area, get on it and get that tree outside. If you don't see a truck in your area, get the tree outside anyway, and it will most likely get picked up soon.

Until next year!