Now that Christmas is over (hopefully not in spirit), we need to figure out what to do with the tree. This part of the holidays disturbs me a little. I mean, the tree is beautiful, the smell in the house is wonderful. But going to the farm, cutting a tree down, dragging it home and displaying it sometimes seems so wrong to me. Almost barbaric. Then someone has a job to dismantle the thing and set it out as trash. It makes me cringe a little.

However, Out Here, it’s quite easy to get rid of the body of evidence. Just remember a few tips: (from the City of Thousand Oaks website) first remove all ornaments, tinsel, and the tree stand. The City of Thousand Oaks and your trash haulers would appreciate your efforts to cut the tree in half (or even smaller pieces), and place it in your green waste cart. If you have a slightly larger tree that will not fit into the green waste cart, please leave the tree out next to your trash cart or green waste cart on your regular collection day, and the tree will be picked up. (Note: Very large trees may require special handling, and you may need to call the trash hauler for a special pick up.)

Trees collected in this program will be mulched and reused throughout the County. City of Thousand Oaks

And, because we tend to generate much more trash during the holidays (unless of course, you follow Sofie’s eco friendly wrapping tips…) GI Rubbish has the following announcement ” residents may place out twice the normal amount of trash (or recyclables) during the two weeks following Christmas (December 26, 2006- January 6, 2007). Please flatten all cardboard boxes, and place them next to your recycling cart.”

Maybe next year we can strive for living Christmas Trees and recyclable packaging. What a gift to the Earth that would be!