The Great Christmas Tree Toss Has Begun

Unwrapped presents and Christmas trees stripped of decorations mark the end of Christmas but not the end of the pines and firs that filled homes with holiday cheer.

Instead of allowing trees to decay in landfills, recycling programs throughout Orange County ensure that they will eventually fertilize lawns and gardens.

“A tree is a tree -- you don’t want to landfill a tree,” said Bruce Shuman, chief executive of Rainbow Disposal in Huntington Beach.

Cities throughout Orange County began picking up trees for recycling Thursday, and most will continue until Jan 10.

Most trash companies, such as Waste Management -- serving Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange, Rancho Santa Margarita and Santa Ana -- require that trees taller than 6 feet be cut in half.

Solag Disposal -- which serves Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano -- requires that that be done for 8-foot trees.

Many trees are turned into compost, which the public can take or buy. Solag Disposal sells compost from recycling centers but also holds a biannual compost and mulch giveaway. Residents can pick up a 30-pound bag of compost or mulch on dates and locations specified in the company’s newsletter.

Solag will continue recycling trees after its Jan. 17 deadline if residents cut them up. Rainbow Disposal prefers that trees be put out by Jan. 10 but will pull trees from regular waste and recycle them if they are tossed in the trash after the deadline.

Waste Management will send trees to a landfill if they are set at curbside after Jan. 9, while Anaheim Disposal asks residents to bring trees to its recycling station.