It never hurts to look ahead to the end of the holiday season, especially when it comes to recycling.

Last year, the City of Tucson and Treecycle hosted the 11th annual Recycle Your Christmas Tree. This event went from Dec. 26 to Jan. 8. People could take their trees to be recycled at various locations in Tucson as well as in Oro Valley, Sahuarita and Marana. Check for updates on this year’s event.

According to the National Christmas Association, a national survey revealed that 93 percent of consumers who purchased a real Christmas tree recycled it in some form of community program. In the Earth 911 website there’s a list of five ways the recycled trees are used. They are:

1. Chipping (chippings are used for various things from mulch to hiking trails)
2. Beachfront erosion prevention
3. Lake and river shoreline stabilization
4. Fish habitat
5. River delta sedimentation management

The site also says that in a year, 30-35 million real Christmas trees are purchased by North Americans and 175,000 trees are sent to people through catalog and shipped mail-order. The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.