Photo: O Tannenbaum, lying in the gutter.

The holiday season is not just a time for presents and festivities; it also a time when your house is filled with all those cardboard boxes in which those gifts were delivered.

To help homeowners free up space in their recycling bins, the Belmont Department of Public Works is holding its second and third Cardboard Drop-off events on:

• Saturday, Jan. 4
• Saturday, Jan. 25

from 9 a.m. to noon at the DPW Yard, 37 C St. (off Waverley Street), weather permitting. Bring along an ID indicating that you are a Belmont resident.

Christmas trees are a wonderful traditional centerpiece for so many. But once the New Year has come and gone, so will the tree.

Again this year, Christmas trees will be picked up by Waste Management, the town’s hauler, for two weeks from Monday, Jan. 6 to Friday, Jan. 17. The trees will be diverted from the Waste to Energy plant and composted.

There are some dos and don’ts on what Christmas-related items can and can’t be recycled:

• No ribbon or bows
• No plastic packaging or plastic toys
• No plastic bags, wrap or film
• No batteries
• No Christmas lights
• No clothes
• No food

Wrapping paper and holiday cards are acceptable for recycling, although they can’t have foil or glitter.