WACO, Texas — Christmas has come and gone and now it's time to clean up.
Keep Waco Beautiful is urging the community to make sustainable choices when disposing of their holiday decorations.
"There are some things you can't recycle like metallic bags or ribbon, but bubble wrap and things like that," said Carole Fergusson, executive director for Keep Waco Beautiful.
"If you have paper wrapping paper or even some of the cardboard boxes or envelopes those are great ways to throw it into the recycle bin and divert more waste from the landfill."
According to the National Fire Protection Association, live Christmas trees tend to only last four to five weeks so it's recommended to take them down quickly after the holiday.
If a tree stays up too long, it can dry out and become a fire hazard.
Over in Pennsylvania, a father and his two sons were killed in a Christmas day fire that was believed to have started from a dry Christmas tree.
To help prevent that from happening to local families, Keep Waco Beautiful has teamed up with the Cobbs Recycling Center to properly dispose of local trees.
"We will be taking your tree without the ornaments out of the car, and we will send it through a mulcher, bag up that mulch and you can actually use that in your garden," Fergusson said.
"As we head into the mulching season, it's a great way to see one thing have a new life and not end up in the landfill."
That event will take place on Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The city will also collect any un-decorated Christmas trees left at the curb and properly dispose of them.
