Christmas is over, the New Year is coming and we suspect more than a few needles are beginning to fall off your green tree.

Thankfully, a few local groups have coordinated to provide a proper burial for at least some of your Christmas memories.

Waste Management, Stine Hardware and the Adams County Green Alliance have arranged for a large bin in the Stine parking lot starting today. Trees dumped in the bin will be turned into mulch, instead of dropped in a landfill whole.

Waste Management will not pick up trees left by the curb, so taking a trip to the bin is a great way to rid your yard of a rotting tree.

The Adams County Green Alliance, formed a few years ago, has fought what must seem like a losing battle at times.

Members of the group saw the opening of a recycling center only to see it close soon after. Running a profitable business from the small amount of waste recycled in Adams County is difficult.

But despite the failure of the most tangible recycling effort, the alliance has stayed around, taking a lead on smaller, but important projects such as the tree recycling effort.

The group feels that educating the public to the importance of recycling is the first step, and has worked to keep green thoughts growing.

It may seem odd to recycle a tree, but the process of minimizing our impact on the earth must include work on all fronts.

We are glad the alliance is leading the way on this red and green project.