Where to Toss the Tree?

Now that Christmas has come and gone, people are thinking about cleaning up in the wake of the holidays.

If you're like me, you have a three-foot-tall fake tree that boxes up neatly. But in the event that you don't, you're probably looking for a way to get rid of your real tree.

Luckily, Baltimore County residents can take their trees to the Eastern Sanitary Landfill, 6259 Days Cove Road in White Marsh. The facility accepts trees (just the tree-no stands, decorations, lights, bags, etc.) from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. every day except Sunday, beginning Dec. 27.

For those of us not inclined to drive out to the dump, the county will collect trees from curbside for two weeks beginning on Jan. 9. You'll have to have your tree (and again, just your tree!) out on the curb by Jan. 14 to guarantee pickup, according to the Baltimore County government website.

Trees will be collected in standard trash trucks and be taken to a landfill site, where they will be chipped and recycled into mulch.

For directions to a drop-off center, check the Baltimore County website or call the Bureau of Solid Waste Management at 410-887-2000.