Curbside pickup of residential live Christmas trees has begun in the city of Columbus.
Trees are picked up on the day of trash collections for each area of the city and will continue through Jan. 26.
Trees should not be in bags and must be free of ornaments, hooks, stands or nails. Trees should be placed at curbside by 7 a.m. on the customer’s trash day.
Call-ins are not accepted for Christmas trees, and collections will not be made on private streets.
The average life span of a Christmas tree is one month after purchase, said Indiana State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson, part of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Consumers should monitor a Christmas tree for freshness and note that when a tree’s needles drop, it means the tree is too dry, Greeson said. These dropped needles are more than just a nuisance to clean up, but rather are an indication that the dry tree is a fire hazard and should be removed from the home, he said.
