Starting Dec. 26, South Suburban Parks and Recreation will offer free Christmas tree recycling in the Littleton-Englewood area and in Centennial until Jan. 14. 

The service is in partnership with the City of Littleton and has been promoted as a sustainable and environmentally friendly way for residents to dispose of their real Christmas trees after the holiday season ends. 

“Most trash and waste removal companies do not accept Christmas trees, so we encourage residents to take advantage of this free program,” South Suburban said in a news release. 

Residents will need to remove all decorations including lights, ornaments, garland, tinsel and stands before dropping off the tree to be recycled. Fake trees will not be accepted, South Suburban said. 

Residents can drop off trees at Cornerstone Park at 5150 S. Windermere Street at the corner of West Belleview Avenue and South Windermere Street in Littleton. In Centennial, trees can be dropped off at the Willow Spring Service Center at 7100 South Holly Street.

Both sites will be open for drop off seven days a week from sunrise to sunset. 

The trees will be chipped on-site. Beginning Dec. 30, residents can pick up free bags of mulch from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays at the Willow Spring site and during daylight hours every day at Cornerstone Park. Mulch is also available from the City of Littleton throughout the year at the northwest corner of South Prescott Street and West Prentice Avenue. 

South Suburban said residents are responsible for loading the mulch, encouraging those interested in taking advantage of the free program to bring bags or trash cans along with a shovel or pitchfork.

The service has been offered every year since at least 2014 according to Becky Grubb, South Suburban spokesperson, and sees thousands of trees recycled. Last year, the Centennial location recycled more than 2,200 trees, Grubb said.