Post-Twelfth Night revelry can incorporate an effort to protect South Louisiana's disappearing wetlands.

Relocating thousands of used Christmas trees to the marshes helps curtail the impacts of erosion, and local waste management companies are making it easy to participate in this restorative initiative by offering post-holiday tree pickups Jan. 8-11.

Before the trees are hauled off, they need to be stripped of all ornaments, tinsel and other nonorganic material — or they'll end up in a landfill. City officials also say the trees need to be placed at regular garbage pickup sites — not on neutral grounds.

Flocked, artificial trees, trees in bags and trees with trimmings will be excluded from these environmental efforts.

On properties serviced by Richard’s Disposal and Metro Service Group, trees should go out to the curb by 5 a.m. on their regularly scheduled collection days between Thursday, Jan. 9, and Saturday, Jan. 11. In the Downtown Development District and French Quarter, which relies on Empire Services, residents should place their trees at the location of regular garbage collection before 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

The citywide effort is funded by the Office of Resilience and Sustainability.

According to Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s office, more than 6,000 trees were collected in Orleans Parish last year before the Louisiana National Guard airlifted them to Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, where they were used to create new marsh habitat.

Similar efforts are taking place in surrounding parishes.

In Jefferson Parish, curbside pick-ups will take place Jan. 9-11.

St. Bernard Parish will offer pick-ups starting Monday, Jan. 6 through Friday, Jan. 8, and also has set up two drop-off spots. St. Bernard residents can opt to bring used trees to the Paris Road Transfer Station at 5120 Paris Ave. in Chalmette or the E.J. Gore Station at 7715 E. Judge Perez Drive in Violet.

Residents of St. Tammany are encouraged to bring their trees to the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds at 1515 N. Florida St. in Covington and the Old Levee Board Property at 61134 Military Road in Slidell.