Ten days after Christmas, and already the City of Lawrence has put your used trees to good use.

Through the annual “tree-cycling” program, the city’s Solid Waste Division gathered 442 trees during its first collection Friday.

Later this week, city workers will stack the trees in piles about 5 feet tall in the closed landfill north of Riverfront Park.

Last year, they collected about 1,800 trees for small animals such as birds and rabbits to use for winter habitat.

“It creates less landfill waste. We’re saving landfill space. Also, it puts it back into the environment in a useful way,” field supervisor Craig Pruett said.

City crews will collect trees again on Friday and Monday. They request you remove all decorations and leave the tree at the curb or outside a Dumpster by 6 a.m. on collection day.