Months of holiday season buildup, preparation, and anticipation have culminated in Christmas Day. Now that this day is over, many Austinites are looking around at a house full of decorations to be packed up and a carefully decorated tree that has to go soon.

Rather than just dumping this tree into the garbage, The City of Austin urges residents to give their tree another life by recycling. There are a few ways to do this.

Curbside collection

Starting December 26, Austin residents who are already signed up for curbside composting service can simply set their tree out by 5:30 am on their regularly scheduled composting collection day.

According to the city's website:

• Trees sprayed with flocking (artificial snow) are not accepted.
• Remove all ornaments, decorations (including tinsel), lights and tree stands.
• Do not place trees in bags.
• Only natural trees are accepted for recycling.
• Trees six feet or taller should be cut in half.

Zilker drop-off

Anyone in the Austin area can drop off their all-natural trees, wreaths, and garlands at Zilker Park to be recycled by Austin Resource Recovery. Again, The City of Austin reminds folks that trees must be natural, as in:

• No flocking or artificial snow
• No ornaments or lights
• No wire frames on wreaths or garlands
• Do not place your tree, wreaths, or garlands into a bag

Drop off is between 10 am to 2 pm on December 28, January 4, and January 5.

All of these trees, wreaths, and garlands collected at Zilker will be turned into mulch, and then all of this mulch will be available to Austinites on a first come, first served basis starting January 8 at 9 am. The City advises locals to bring their own tools and storage containers to transport the mulch.

Other nearby free tree drop-off locations include:

• Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant - 2210 FM 973, Austin
  A government-issued photo ID is required for entry.
• Texas Disposal Systems - 3016 FM 1327, Creedmoor, or 4001 RR 620 South, Bee Cave
• Whittlesey Landscape Supplies - 3219 S IH 35, Round Rock, or 629 Dalton Ln., Austin
• Kinser Ranch LLC. - 10701 Kinser Ln., Austin
• Travis County West Service Center - 4501 FM 620, Austin
• Travis County East Service Center - 6011 Blue Bluff Rd., Austin
• Travis County Collection Center - 2625 Woodall Drive, Cedar Park
• Del Valle Softball Complex - 3614 FM 973, Del Valle (behind the Southwest Rural Center)

Austinites hoping to clear out artificial trees, which are not eligible for these solutions, might consider donating them to thrift stores or charities that accept similar items, although these trees will be out of season and likely over-stocked.

More direct alternatives for finding a fake tree a new home include posting in the Marketplace or a Buy Nothing group on Facebook, or making a Craigslist ad (especially in the "free stuff" section). Even though the trees are out of season, some frugal locals plan for this spike in supply, and will be happy to take it for cheap and store it for next year.

As a last resort, Austinites can wait for or schedule a bulk pickup date. For more resources from the city, type "holiday tree (artificial)" into this online tool.