Ah, Christmas.  The fun time of year where we anticipate opening gifts that will either delight the senses, or be rejected and taken back to whence they came.

After the gifts have been opened and the in-laws have left, what will you do with your Christmas tree?  Hopefully you aren’t considering trying to stuff that big ol piece of wood into a garbage can, only to be taken to a landfill (tsk tsk).  This will probably leave you with a list of questions:

• What is the proper way to dispose of your tree?
• Who operates a Christmas tree dropoff?
• Better yet, is there anyone that does Christmas tree pickup (or curbside tree pickup)?

Prepare for Your Christmas Tree Disposal

This should be common sense, but it does bear repeating: before you recycle be sure to remove all decorations and ornaments from your tree (you are — after all — recycling the TREE and not the accessories that go on the tree).  Also, make sure the Christmas tree stand has been removed, and any tinsel that you may have placed on your tree.

Once this has been completed, you have two options: you can take your Christmas tree to a recycling center that is near you, or you can contact a Christmas tree pickup service to get your tree.

Click this link for a list of Christmas tree recycling centers.

Christmas Tree Pickup Services

In the past, many municipalities operated their own Christmas tree pickup programs to assist residents with being responsible at the end of the Christmas season.  However, more and more are ending these types of programs due to cost, complexity, or other reasons.  Even though many cities like Philadelphia are abandoning their Christmas tree pickup programs, there are services such as Take My Christmas Tree that have filled the void with quality, professional Christmas tree pickup services.  You’ll be able to schedule your Christmas tree pickup to that you can leave your tree curbside, and the service will collect your tree before the end of the business day.  You’ll also have peace of mind knowing that the trees are being recycled responsibly and you are doing your part to help preserve our fragile environment.  It’s a win-win!