It’s just about now that the Christmas tree you meticulously decorated and piled presents under is starting to smell a little less fresh and shedding far more needles than you feel like cleaning up every day. That’s right: it’s almost time to unceremoniously toss that evergreen conifer out. (Sorry, Tiny Timber.)

As simple as this sounds, there always seems to be a hiccup, whether it’s your neighbor who waits until April to break with the Christmas spirit, collective confusion over where exactly people should put their trees (no, street trash cans are not the right place), or municipal mishaps that result in tree carcasses remaining on sidewalks deep into the spring.

So get to pulling off all those decorations, lights, and tinsel off your tree, and follow these directions for getting it picked up and dealt with properly (which in most cases means being composted).

D.C.

Christmas tree collections in D.C. will run from Jan. 3 to March 3, and all trees picked up during this period will be composted.

If you get municipal trash collection (that’s pretty much everyone spare people who live in buildings), you can leave your tree and greenery in front of your house, where city crews will pick them up within five days. If you live in a building, check with your property manager. Alternatively, between Jan. 3 and March 3 residents can take their trees and greenery to the Benning Road Transfer Station (3200 Benning Road NE) or Guy Mason Recreation Center (3600 Calvert Street NW). If all else fails, you can request a special tree pickup via 311. Remember: if you wait until after March 3, there’s no guarantee that your tree will be composted.

MARYLAND

Montgomery County: No special process here, since Christmas trees and greenery and picked up as part of the county’s curbside yard trim collection. Just set your tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling collection day. Details may differ if you live in incorporated towns like Takoma Park, Gaithersburg, and others, so check with your local authorities just to be sure.

Prince George’s County: Much like its neighbor, Prince George’s County collects trees and greenery as part of its usual yard trim collections, though Christmas trees are only picked up through the end of January. Trees and the like can also be dropped off at the Brown Station Road Drop-off Convenience Center, located at 3501 Brown Station Road in Upper Marlboro. And if you have an abnormally large number of trees, you can try the Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility at 6550 Maude Savoy Brown Road in Upper Marlboro.

VIRGINIA

Arlington: Efficiency is the name of the game in Arlington County, where dedicated tree-collections run from Jan. 2-13. During that period, place trees at curb no later than 6 a.m. on your regular trash collection day. After that, trees and greenery are handled curbside as part of regular year-round yard waste collection.

Alexandria: A Christmas tree may be special to you, but for Alexandria, it’s just more yard waste. As such, “trees should be set at your regular yard waste collection point, on your trash collection day.”

Fairfax County: Like in Arlington, Christmas tree-specific collections will run from Jan. 2-13. After that, a special pickup request is needed. But there’s more, per the county: “All licensed trash collectors in Fairfax County are required to collect and recycle live Christmas trees less than 8 feet tall that have been separately set out at single-family homes and townhouse communities during the first two weeks of January. Please contact your trash collection company for questions regarding this service. Residents can also recycle their live Christmas trees at the (4618 West Ox Rd, Fairfax) or the I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Rd, Lorton).”