Now that Christmas has come and gone, you may be wondering what to do with your Christmas tree. The city of Richmond Hill may just have an environment-friendly solution for you.

City officials are urging residents throughout the county to take their tree to J.F. Gregory Park on Jan. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Park employees will be on hand to run the trees through a chipper. Trees are chipped into mulch, to be used for public beautification projects.

This is an annual event, known as "Bring One for the Chipper" and seems to be growing in popularity. Hundreds of people took advantage of the service last year. In appreciation of their recycling efforts, participants receive a free dogwood seedling, while supplies last.

"This program promotes the recycling of Christmas trees into useable mulch material and provides county residents easy access to a drop-off site," reads a proclamation from the city, which was approved by city council last week.

The proclamation touches on the advantages of recycling and how it "reduces the waste stream, thus saving tax dollars and improving our environment … Richmond Hill is committed to reducing the waste stream, thus helping the state of Georgia reach a per capita waste disposal reduction goal."

The city’s efforts are part of a statewide movement. Since 1991, the Georgia "Bring One for the Chipper" program has collected nearly five million trees. Last year more than 200,000 trees were recycled.

For more information, visit the website at www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org or call 800-CLEANUP.