Christmas 'Treecycling' Pickup Begins In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The collection of Christmas trees for recycling into energy will begin Thursday in San Francisco, according to the city's Department of the Environment.

Recology and city officials are asking residents to place their clean trees at the curb outside their residences for pickup.

City officials ask that trees be placed on the curb before 6 a.m. on a resident's regularly scheduled-service day. Residents are asked to remove any plastic bags, tinsel, decorations, stands, fake snow and lights before placing trees curbside.

Recology is asking residents who are recycling trees that are 6 feet or taller to cut the trees in half.

Residents are asked not to place trees at street corners, as this can be a fire hazard.

City officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the "treecycling" program will turn hundreds of tons of discarded Christmas trees into useable energy. In 2013, 539 tons of Christmas trees were put into the chipper and transformed into energy.

The collection will continue through Jan. 15, according to the city's Department of the Environment.