Christmas came, it went, and now you have a drying tree and a half-burned out string of lights.
First thing first -- remember to keep that tree hydrated, lest it catch on fire. And make sure the lights are safe.
You just have to hold onto it until after New Years; starting next week, you can drop that tree off at a Treecycle site, where the city will turn your holiday wonder into mulch.
Treecycle launches Jan. 2.
On weekdays, Jan. 2 to 31, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., take your tree to any of the following places:
- Cherry Creek Transfer Station - 7301 E. Jewell Ave. (enter on E. Jewell Ave.)
- Havana Nursery - 10450 Smith Rd. (enter on Smith Road)
- Central Platte Campus - 1271 W. Bayaud Ave. (next to the Denver Animal Shelter)
And on Saturdays, Jan. 13, 20 and 27, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., drop your tree at:
- Sloan's Lake Northwest Parking Lot - W. Byron Pl. and Yates St.
- Bruce Randolph - E. 40th Ave. and Steele St.
- Fred Thomas Park - 2400 Quebec St.
- Evie Dennis School Campus - 4800 Telluride St.
- Central Platte Campus - 1271 W. Bayaud Ave.
- Carson Elementary - 5420 E 1st Ave.
- Kennedy High School - Newland St. and Brown Pl.
- Slavens Elementary - 3000 S Clayton St.
If you don't want to drop your tree off, you can leave it outside on large-item pickup day. In that case, it will go to the landfill.
For shame.
Stuck with busted lights?
Those long strings of Christmas lights can be recycled. But not in your purple bin. They contain too many different materials to go through the standard recycling process and risk snarling up the sorting equipment.
You have until Dec. 31 to drop off broken or burned-out holiday lights for free at either the Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off, at 7400 Cherry Creek S. Dr. or at Blue Star Recyclers, 953 Decatur St.
New life from your old tree
In the spring, Denver's old Christmas trees will return when then city holds its annual Mulch Giveaway. You can go, with a vehicle, to fill up on free mulch. Information will be posted here when the time gets closer.
Happy New Year, and before you know it, happy gardening season.
