Return to the Earth, little buddy. Shutterstock.

Update: Because of inclement weather, DPW will continue to pick up and recycle trees for the next two weeks: “Since December 29, when these collections were to begin, we have had several snow/ice events, which required the leaf collections drivers to switch over to snow removal operations.”

Original post, December 27

Starting this Sunday, the D.C. Department of Public Works will begin collecting the city’s sad, discarded Christmas trees and recycling them for a limited time.

From DPW:

Place holiday trees, wreaths and other greenery next to the trash container at the resident’s regular collection point. Trees collected between December 29-January 11 will be recycled. After January 11, trees will be collected with the trash as space allows in the trash trucks.

Trees that are picked up during the recycling period are composted. Said compost is available at the Fort Totten Transfer Station between March and October on Saturdays. So while it may seem like a good idea to keep your tree until St. Patrick’s Day, it’s better if you don’t.