Members of Ashland's Scout Troop 112 gather Christmas trees for chipping and reuse during a past year's collection. This year's pickup will be on Saturday, Jan. 6.

Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer or you’re interested in helping a good cause, there’s more than one way to toss out a Tannenbaum in the Rogue Valley.

An east Medford Scout troop and Crater High School’s band and color guard will begin carrying away Christmas trees this weekend in east Medford and Central Point, while Ashland’s tree pickup is next weekend. In the days and weeks ahead, locals have multiple pickup and drop-off options for disposing of that tree on their own schedule.

Here’s a rundown of local options:

Scout pickups in east Medford and Ashland

BSA Troop 112 is bracing to haul away more than 1,000 trees in Ashland on Saturday, Jan. 6, for the Scouts’ 37th annual Christmas tree pickup, according to Scoutmaster Kevin Calkins. He said his troops scour every Ashland street two times in the search for Christmas trees, which get shredded into mulch for use in Ashland parks.

To make the haul easier, Calkins asks Ashlanders to place their trees in an obvious place on pickup day, and for a little bit of patience if Scouts don’t get to it first thing in the morning.

“We don’t know when we’re going to pick up their tree,” Calkins said, adding that teams will pick up some neighborhoods as early as 8:15 a.m. while others may be hauled away late in the afternoon.

Troop 112 will also pick up Ashlanders’ Christmas wreaths. See troop112.com for more info.

For those in east Medford, BSA Troop 7 will pick up trees from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 30 and Jan. 6. Scouts will patrol every street in east Medford within the boundaries of the Rogue Valley Manor at the south end, Delta Waters Road at the north, Crater Lake Avenue at the west and Roxy Ann Peak at the east.

In an email, Scoutmaster Chris Donica asked east Medford residents to make sure their trees are out on the street by 8 a.m. and to “make sure it’s very visible.”

“Sometimes trees blend into bushes, cars, houses, etc. If we miss a tree, let us know so we can come back the following Saturday,” Donica said.

For more information on the east Medford pickup, see troop7medford.org or email scoutmaster@troop7medford.org.

Crater Band and Guard in Central Point

Crater High School’s band and color guard will be picking up Christmas trees around Central Point on Saturday, Dec. 30, in an effort to raise funds for an April class trip to Disneyland to march along the California theme park’s Main Street.

According to Anthony Barei, Crater’s color guard director and assistant band director, the Disneyland trip will cost a little more than $1,800 per student.

“The money goes straight to their accounts to perform,” Barei said. “That $1,800 can be big barrier for the kids that are going.”

In addition to a chance for students to explore the park and show off their new uniforms, the trip includes workshops with professional musicians for marching band students and a chance to learn from Disney dancers.

“The benefits of the kids learning from other professionals is always great,” Barei said.

Central Point residents interested in a tree pickup on Dec. 30 are asked to call 541-291-1475 or email boosters@craterbandandguard.com. For a minimum $10 donation, the band can also pick up trees the following week.

Rogue Disposal

Those in the greater Medford area who missed out on Good Samaritans carrying away Christmas trees have a couple options from Rogue Disposal for getting rid of that tree.

Garry Penning, Rogue Disposal’s director of governmental affairs and marketing, said that a next-day curbside pickup is a phone call away at 541-779-4161. Provided there’s no ornaments or tinsel, Rogue Disposal charges a little less than $12 for a 6-foot tree.

“We do that Monday through Friday,” Penning said, adding that “it might take a day or so to do that.” 

Do-it-yourselfers can also take it to Rogue Disposal’s transfer station at 8001 Table Rock Road, White City. Penning said that natural Christmas trees are considered yard waste.

“Obviously artificial trees can’t be composted — most people realize that,” Penning said.

The transfer station is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and will be closed New Year’s day. For more info see roguedisposal.com.

Recology Ashland

Ashlanders who missed the Scouts pickup on Jan. 6 can dispose of their tree for free during the next routine “green waste day” pickup, a Recology customer service representative told the Rogue Valley Times.

Because the waste management company operates on an every-other-week schedule, that could be anytime between Monday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 19, depending on the Ashland customer’s neighborhood. To be considered as green waste, the tree should be cut down to a size no bigger than 4 feet. 

After Jan. 22, Ashland Recology customers can still have their tree picked up during their scheduled recycling day for a $5 fee. Customers need to contact Recology ahead of time by calling 541-482-1471 or email customerservice103@recology.com.

Biomass One

In terms of both cost and restrictions, by far the cheapest option for Christmas tree disposal is Biomass One.

According to Biomass One landscape sales manager Lonnie Hyatt, who is also in charge of the drop-off yard at 2350 Ave. G in White City, the energy and wood products company accepts Christmas trees free of charge.

“We will take Christmas trees at no charge pretty much year-round,” Hyatt said. “It can have tinsel on it, it can be flocked — that does not affect our operations.”

The yard is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open New Year’s Day. For more information, call 541-826-9422 or email hello@biomassone.com.