Christmas is over. What should I do with this Christmas tree?

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How long do you leave your tree up? This year for the first time, we put up a Christmas tree. Our elderly neighbor grows them on a small piece of land outside of Madison and sells them from his front yard. We walked it home in a wheelbarrow, in the middle of an afternoon snowfall. The whole thing felt ridiculously picturesque!

Now that the holidays are over, I got to wondering -- what do you with Christmas trees when Christmas is over? If you live in Madison, you should follow the advice below from the Madison Streets Division (and here's what you need to know if you live in Middleton or Monona):

The Madison Streets Division will collect Christmas trees for recycling. Each neighborhood will receive two collections. You may also bring your trees a drop-off site. Note: Collection could be delayed due to winter weather. Snow and ice operations have priority over tree collection.

Round One begins Monday January 6th

Round Two begins Tuesday January 21st.

Have your tree out on the above dates to ensure collection. it takes 8 to 10 working days to complete a round of collection.

Christmas Tree Collection Rules

All trees are chipped at the curb. To avoid damage to our equipment, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

          • Place trees at the street edge only
          • Remove and discard tree bags
          • Remove all tree stands, ornaments, lights and other metal objects
          • Trees that are not properly prepared will NOT be collected.

Christmas Tree Drop Off Sites

You may also bring your Christmas trees to our drop off sites at:

West: 1501 W. Badger Rd

East: 4602 Sycamore Ave

The sites open winter hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Our tree still has a bit of life left in it, and I'm not quite ready to take it down. What about you? How long do you leave your Christmas tree up after the holidays?