Instead of letting your Christmas tree take up space in a landfill this year, state natural resources officials suggest giving it a second life by putting it to good use for fish or wildlife.

Myrtle Beach offers curb side pick-up starting at the beginning of the new year or you can drop off your tree at the corner of 21st Avenue and Mister Joe White Avenue behind Myrtle Waves.

Trees can also be dropped off at any solid waste authority location.

"Every year, there are a couple of trees that go out to the curb fully decorated, tree stand and all. I guess people are just in a hurry to move on to the next holiday. We can't really recycle a tree that's fully decorated," said Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea.

The trees will be grinded down to mulch which will be free for the public starting in February.

"We're getting to the time of year when the leaves have dropped and the landscape is more open. However, cover is still a vital part of a healthy wildlife habitat," said Tammy Wactor, wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) based in Clemson.

Fisheries biologists with the DNR Freshwater Fisheries Section use discarded Christmas trees to maintain many fish attractor sites, which are clearly marked by buoys, at all major reservoirs in South Carolina. Once on the lake bottom, Christmas trees and other suitable materials provide a surface where aquatic insects live and grow. These insects in turn attract small fish that are fed upon by larger fish.