SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – The holidays have come and gone and it is now time to put those decorations away – that means taking down the Christmas tree.
Fire officials have warned that keeping a natural tree up for too long could put an entire home at risk.
At Waste Management in El Cajon, employees hauled away piles of Christmas trees and turned them into mulch after picking them up outside homes they service – a service they do annually.
“Recycling your tree, by doing so you are kicking off the year by doing something good for the environment because you're giving back in the form of mulch,” said Eloisa Orozco, with Waste Management.
For Aaron Pavlica, who dropped his tree off on Wednesday, one his concerns was his tree as a fire hazard.
Captain Issac Sanchez with San Diego Cal Fire said that at this point, those still with a Christmas tree in their homes need to get rid of it.
“These fires when they do start, spread incredible quickly. Best scenario, if you bought your tree before Christmas and kept it watered, it is still going to dry out and get to a point where it is a fire hazard in your home,” he said.
Waste Management said they receive about 1,000 tree drop offs a year – which you can do at their O’Connor Street facility through January 13th.
Other ways to recycle your Christmas tree: