The presents have been unwrapped, stockings emptied and Santa is long gone, and now you are ready to take down your tree.
The question is how to get rid of it.
Depending on where you live in the county, you have some options for getting rid of your live tree. Regardless of where the trees are being recycled, you will need to take off any tinsel, lights or ornaments before you get rid of them.
After last Christmas, more than 1,200 trees were dropped off at four locations as part of the Johnson County Recycling District’s annual Christmas tree recycling effort that began 10 years ago, Johnson County Recycling District executive director Jessie Biggerman said.
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The drop-off service, which will run from today through Jan. 13, is free for all Johnson County residents and is important to provide as a safe way to dispose of trees for residents who don’t have the option of leaving them outside to decompose, Biggerman said. Drop-off locations are located throughout the county, from the Center Grove area to Trafalgar.
In Franklin, a Boy Scout troop is offering to pick up and dispose of Christmas trees for a donation as part of a fundraiser to purchase a new trailer.
The troop, with a little over two dozen scouts, is working to raise $5,000 for the trailer and have collected about $1,000 so far through other fundraisers, said Kelly Strain, whose two sons are in Franklin-based Boy Scout Troop 228.
Residents can call ahead to schedule a pickup on Saturday, or Jan. 6 or Jan. 7, and leave the tree out on the curb to be picked up, she said. The suggested donation is $10 to $20.
Greenwood residents have the option of leaving their tree on the curb during January, and city workers on tree limb and brush pickup routes will gather the trees to be recycled.
Dried-out Christmas trees pose a fire hazard as they can quickly ignite and shouldn’t be stored in a home or garage, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
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Needing to dispose of your Christmas tree? Here’s three organizations providing tree disposal in Johnson County, depending on where you live.
Boy Scout Troop 228
When: Saturday, and Jan. 6 and 7
Where: Trees to be picked up from the curbside at homes in the Franklin area
Cost: A suggested donation of $10 to $20
Contact: 317-409-9283, 317-250-1216 or [email protected]
Johnson County Recycling District
When: Today through Jan. 13
Cost: Free
Where: Trees can be dropped off at four locations
- Johnson County Fairgrounds, 250 Fairground St., Franklin (Leave trees across from Purdue Extension office on grass)
- Center Grove High School, 2717 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood (Leave tress near tennis courts & baseball diamond)
- Indian Creek Intermediate School, 100 S. Indian Creek Drive, Trafalgar (Leave trees near the southwest corner by the football field)
- McCarty Mulch, 100 Bluffdale Road, Greenwood
Greenwood Street Department
When: January
Where: Curbside in Greenwood city limits
Cost: Free
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