Rotting Apples

My yard is full of rotting apples.  Having an apple tree is not as great as I thought it would be. Actually, it's really annoying.  Filling the yard debris can with apples doesn't seem to make a dent.  More just fall the next day.  Plus my dogs carry them into the house and that part of the lawn can't be mowed.  Have you had experience with this before?  What should we do with the apples next season?  I think there are too many bugs to eat them.

-Kira