SANFORD — Is that Christmas tree you so painstakingly chose for the corner of your living room a month ago looking a little wan? Are the needles dropping on your nice clean floor? Do even the house cats — so fascinated when it first went up and determined to bat every ornament — yawning  when they walk by the tree?

It is time go to — time to get rid of that evergreen. 

Well, here’s some good news for residents of Sanford and Springvale village. The city will dispose of your real Christmas tree — no artificial ones, please — provided you follow the rules set by the Department of Public Works. 

Heck, they’ll even pick it up.

Here is how the Christmas tree disposal works:

Christmas trees will be picked up by the Sanford Public Works Department starting Tuesday, Jan. 2 and continuing thru Friday Jan. 12 only. 

The trees need to be put out on the day your  household rubbish is regularly picked up in the first week of January. Remember, the trees may not be picked up on that exact day, said assistant to the public works director Nancy LeBrun. The crews will pick them up sometime during this two week period, weather permitting, she said.

She said trees are to be left whole, not buried in the snow, and they must be left close to the street curb.  All decorations must be removed.

The trees  will be picked up by municipal employees for recycling and will either be chipped onsite or at the Transfer Station on Rushton Street.

Don’t want to wait? Any resident may take their Christmas tree to the Transfer Station debris area during the hours of operation 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday and  8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays — with the exception of Jan.  2, when the Transfer Station will be closed due to the holiday schedule.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.