'Tis the season for decorating Christmas trees, opening the presents beneath them – and then turning them into mulch.
Howard County's Merry Mulch program, an eco-friendly way of disposing of Christmas trees, begins Dec. 26 this year.
Since 1993, the county has collected thousands of trees from designated drop-off spots at garden centers and parks throughout Howard and delivered them to a composting facility, where they are recycled into compost and mulch.
Merry Mulch tree collection this year begins the day after Christmas and runs through Friday, Jan. 16, 2015.
To prepare a tree for Merry Mulch collection, all decorations must be removed and the tree must be chopped into lengths of less than 4 feet and tied together, though they do not have to be bagged. Each bundle should weigh less than 40 pounds.
Residents with curbside yard trim collection can leave their trees out at the curb on yard trim collection day through Jan. 16; trees will not be picked up on trash day during this time frame.
Trees can also be dropped off at designated sites seven days a week between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m, unless otherwise noted. Merry Mulch drop-off locations are:
• Clarksville: Kendall Hardware, 12260 Rte. 108 and River Hill Garden Center, 12165 Rte. 108
• Columbia: Cedar Lane Park, 5081 Cedar Ln. and Grandfather's Garden Center, 5320 Phelps Luck Dr.
• Elkridge: Rockburn Park, 5400 Landing Road
• Ellicott City: Small Circuit Court parking lot on upper Court House Drive (just past Ellicott Mills Drive, on the right)
• Highland: Schooley Mill Park, 12975 Hall Shop Road.
• Marriottsville: Alpha Ridge Landfill Wood Waste Area, 2350 Marriottsville Road (Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
• Savage: Savage Park, 8400 Fair St.
• Woodbine: Western Regional Park, 14800 Carrs Mill Road
After Jan. 16, trees will continue to be collected at the Alpha Ridge Landfill and will be picked up curbside on trash collection day. Artificial trees can be recycled year-round at the landfill.