’Tis the season for mulching

O, Christmas tree, O, Christmas tree, you make a lovely compost.

That tree that bravely held up your lights and trinkets and tinsel during the last few weeks is now a decaying menace in the corner of the living room. It's time for this symbol of new life to become fertilizer for the next round of greenery.

Accordingly, the state and the city have again joined forces to aid in tree-cycling efforts. The dropped-off trees will be mulched and composted at the government green-waste transfer stations.

It's easy. Heave that tree on top of your car, tie it down, and motor to a drop-off point. Volunteers there will untie it, roll it off and fling it into a chipper and shredder, where it will be pureed into Pine-Sol-smelling wood chips.

Here are the dates for tree drop-offs:

Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 4 and 11.

Big Island, 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow and Sunday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 4 and 5.

Kauai, any transfer station through Jan. 12.

Oahu drop-off sites:

Kailua Intermediate School

Kaneohe District Park

Kapiolani Community College

Maili Beach Park

16 Acres Park in Mililani

Waiau District Park

any City Refuse Convenience Centers in Laie, Waimanalo, Wahiawa, Waipahu, Ewa Beach or Waianae.

For more information, call 521-CHIP on Oahu; 329-2886 on the Big Island; 241-7096 on Kauai; and 243-7880, ext. 13 on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.