Although some of us like to use artificial trees each year during the holidays, plenty of families continue to use the real thing.

And while artificial trees help to expedite the post-Christmas cleaning process, the town of Chapel Hill is providing residents with the best way to dispose of Christmas trees and wreaths this year. The fire department encourages residents to dispose of trees when they start to get dry, to prevent any possibility of a house fire.

Town crews will pick up the trees with the rest of the yard waste collection schedule. Remove all decorations, lights and tinsel before setting the tree along the curb with other waste. Apartment residents should place trees in a designated area as directed by property managers.

Yard waste is collected on Thursdays from single-family residences on a Monday trash collection schedule and on Fridays from those with Tuesday trash collection.

In Carrboro, yard waste was not collected during the week of Christmas, but it resumes regular schedule this week. Place trees with other yard waste limbs, bags and containers. In Hillsborough, follow the brush collection schedule and place trees within four feet of the curb to be collected.

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