That beautiful Christmas tree that provided so much joy can keep on giving.

Broward County‘s holiday trees are turned into mulch, which is spread throughout 50 sites including regional and neighborhood parks. Not just for landscaping, they are also used on horse trails.

About 5,000 evergreens became mulch last year. The numbers have dropped within the last decade – the peak was in 2002 with 18,099 trees – because more people are using artificial trees and more cities are doing their own recycling, said Michael Mills, spokesman for Broward County‘s Parks and Recreation Division.

In unincorporated Palm Beach County, the trees put outside homes as yard waste will be automatically recycled for electricity, said Willie Puz, director of Public Affairs and Recycling. Excess energy goes back to the grid for use by FP&L which could power 44,000 homes for a year, he said.

“We aren’t putting any waste in the landfill, it’s going to be burned,” Puz said. “Anything we burn, it goes to electricity.”

In Miami-Dade County, residents who pay the county’s annual waste fee — generally residents in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and Sunny Isles Beach – have 12 drop-off location options to leave their trees to be turned into mulch. There is no cut-off date to leave a tree.

Those options at the county’s trash and recycling centers are: North Dade, 21500 NW 47 Ave.; Norwood, 19901 NW 7 Ave.; Palm Springs North, 7870 NW 178 St.; Golden Glades, 140 NW 160 St.; West Little River, 1830 NW 79 St.; Snapper Creek, 2200 SW 117 Ave.; Sunset Kendall, 8000 SW 107 Ave.; Richmond Heights, 14050 Boggs Drive; West Perrine, 16651 SW 107 Ave.; Eureka Drive, 9401 SW 184 St.; South Miami Heights, 20800 SW 117 Court; and Moody Drive, 12970 SW 268 St.

In Broward, the tree collection by the county runs through Jan. 18 and only bare trees are accepted. Palm Beach County does not impose a cutoff date for collecting trees.

Broward collection sites are: Brian Piccolo Sports Park & Velodrome, 9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City; C. B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Road., Pembroke Pines; Easterlin Park, 1000 NW 38 St., Oakland Park; Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Road South, Coconut Creek; Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise; Plantation Heritage Park, 1100 S. Fig Tree Lane, Plantation; Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park, 2520 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area, 3600 SW 62 Ave., Miramar; Tradewinds Park & Stables, 3600 W Sample Road, Coconut Creek; Tree Tops Park, 3900 SW 100 Ave., Davie; T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park, 3300 N. Park Road, Hollywood; Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142 Ave., Davie; and West Lake Park, 751 Sheridan St., Hollywood.

Many South Florida cities have their own recycling programs as well, including:

Boca Raton is collecting holiday trees through Jan. 16. Trees can be dropped off at 751 Banyan Trail, adjacent to Mizner Bark Dog Park.

*Coral Springs: Residents can bring their Christmas trees to the city’s Waste Transfer Station, 12600 Wiles Road, on weekends, or place them curbside with regular yard waste collection, to be recycled into mulch.

*Fort Lauderdale: Residents can place their trees at their curb on regularly scheduled yard waste collection days for reuse through Jan. 9.

*Lighthouse Point: Through Jan. 31, residents can drop off trees at the north end of Dan Witt Park, 4521 NE 22 Ave., behind the tennis courts, to become mulch.

*Plantation: Trees can be brought to the Public Works Compound, 750 NW 91 Ave., indefinitely.

*Pompano Beach: The free tree dropoff will be at the Pompano Beach Airpark on Northeast 5th Avenue just south of Copans Road through Jan. 31.

*Tamarac: Residents may bring their trees to the Public Services Complex, 6011 Nob Hill Road, during business hours through Jan. 15.

For all recycling projects, participants should remove all decorations, including lights and tinsel, from the trees before dropping them off.

or 954-572-2008