What to do with your tree now that the holidays are ending

The ornaments are back in their boxes and the strands of blinking lights have been unplugged.

What to do now with that suddenly unadorned Christmas tree? Sonoma County residents have several options.

Unflocked trees can be chopped up and placed inside green bins for recycling. Flocked trees must be discarded in the garbage bin or be taken to the county landfill or one of four waste transfer stations throughout the county.

Full unflocked trees also can be left beside yard waste containers for pickup on regular garbage days, but only for a specified period of time.

Curbside tree service that began this week in Petaluma and Windsor was scheduled to wrap up Friday. Healdsburg’s curbside service will run through next Friday.

Curbside service starts Monday in Santa Rosa and Cloverdale, and in Rohnert Park and Cotati, trees can be left out starting Jan. 9.

Free drop-off locations also are available throughout the county. The list of 13 sites is available on the county’s waste management website.

Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops in the area will be picking up old Christmas trees to help pay for their programs.

Pickup can be arranged by calling a waste management agency hotline, 707-565-3333. The suggested donation for the service is $7 for trees less than 6 feet tall and $10 for larger trees.

All 32 members of Petaluma’s Boy Scouts Troop 8 are participating in the tree recycling event, which raises money for the troop’s summer camp activities, according to Jennifer Masterson, the troop’s committee chair.

As he has in the past, Petaluma attorney Thom Knudson donated office space and equipment for troop members to print out fliers advertising the service.

Masterson said for safety reasons the troop no longer drags a wood chipper around on recycling days. Instead, the trees will be hauled to Empire Waste Management for recycling there.

Masterson said the tree collection honors the Scout traditions of being resourceful and thrifty.

“When they get to camp, they have that sense of accomplishment, that they earned their way there,” she said. “And becoming better stewards of the environment.”