Scout troops in the cities of Marysville and Arlington will be collecting Christmas trees within the city limits to be recycled Jan. 3.

In Arlington, Boy Scouts of America Troop 29 Assistant Scoutmaster Rick Van Arman asked those giving trees to have them on the curb by 9 a.m., or to drop them off in the City Hall parking lot between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free of all tinsel, decorations and stands. He noted that envelopes will be distributed throughout the city, to provide opportunities to make donations to their troop, and added that the envelopes can be attached to the trees or mailed in.

In Marysville, five Scout troops are teaming up to collect trees from curbsides at 8 a.m., and will also be receiving those trees at Jennings Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donna Coates, who’s coordinating the Scout troops’ efforts with the city of Marysville, added that the wood chips produced from the trees will be distributed through Jennings Park by a working party March 7.

Both cities’ Scouts have been collecting trees for years and Coates sees such programs as beneficial both to those who need to dispose of Christmas trees and to the ecosystem. Van Arman likewise thanked the community for its support of Scouting, but noted that more support is always needed and appreciated.