Gloucester County does not have a specific Christmas tree recycling program, Clean Community coordinator William A. Bell said, but that doesn’t mean that live Christmas trees won’t be recycled.

Bell said that, after the holidays, Gloucester residents can deposit their live trees in the brush bin at any of the county’s convenience centers during regular business hours.

Residents should remove all decorations prior to dropping off the tree at the convenience center, Bell said, and the trees will be chipped for mulch.

“Chipping a tree for mulch is a better alternative than burning it,” he said. “When chipped for mulch, the organic value of the tree is not lost as it would be if burned.”

In 2012, U.S. consumers bought 24.5 million live Christmas trees, a Clean Community release said. The Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association estimates that there are more than 7 million Christmas trees growing in V...