How do you handle a Christmas tree after the holiday? Landings residents face this problem each year. We have some ideas.

The best solution is to take your tree to one of the tree recycling centers in this area. Christmas trees are accepted there, usually without charge, in the days following the holidays. Another possible solution is to cut up the tree into small branches that fit into a yard waste bag you place at the 40th Street curb on Tuesdays for the city to pick up. (Don’t place tree branches in the green food waste bin because there isn’t enough room for both food waste and Christmas trees branches.)

The least desirable solution is to leave the tree outside the dumpsters for the garbage truck to take away. A pile of tinder-dry, pitch-filled evergreens is a tempting target for an arsonist.

Please make sure to dispose of your Christmas tree safely.