SARASOTA -- While the holidays are fun, safely dealing with the aftermath can be a challenge. Take Christmas trees as an example.
If you have a natural tree, firefighters remind you that you have to keep the stand watered and avoid letting the tree dry out. Also avoid candles on the tree and check for frayed wiring. Then when the holidays are over, get the tree out of the house and on the curb ASAP. Otherwise, you could experience the scene below. Sarasota firefighters set this tree on fire and it quickly looked more sickly than anything Charlie Brown dragged out of a Christmas tree lot.
Of course, Christmas trees aren't the only pretty holiday item that becomes a nuisance after the season. Remember all that packaging? All those gift boxes? Those Christmas cards, some of which play music and have batteries? All the lithium-ion batteries those new toys and gifts take? They all have their own rules for disposal.
Listen to an interview with Daniel Gallagher, a project manager with Hillsborough County's Solid Waste Department, on how to deal with holiday disposal. The link is below.
Photo: Sarasota County Fire Department