Question: How do I recycle Christmas trees and other holiday greens? What other types of recycling should I be thinking about during this season?
The holiday season is all about abundance and the joy of giving, but it also generates so much that could be recycled. Instead, our trash often ends up in the landfills and incinerators. Organic materials, including live Christmas trees, make up between 20 to 30 percent of the municipal solid waste reaching our landfills.
Here are some easy ways to make the holiday season greener, end the old year with environmentally responsible actions and encourage others to do the same.
Christmas Tree Recycling Programs
In Albemarle County/Charlottesville area: Fortunately, the Albemarle County Parks and Recreation Department, with assistance from Charlottesville and the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, provides convenient opportunities to recycle live holiday trees and other items.
Beginning in 1988, an average of 2,300 trees were collected annually and turned into mulch that is then offered back to the public free of charge. In 2020 together with the Charlottesville city pickup, these joint programs collected 4,200 trees, generating a total of 200 cubic yards of wood chips. What a good way to both recycle and reuse these trees!
In the second full week in January, Charlottesville offers curbside pickup of Christmas trees. Other pickup details were not available at the time of publication, but trees typically must be placed curbside by 7 am on Monday of the pickup week. Be sure not mix Christmas trees with yard waste.
In addition, from Dec. 27, 2021 to Jan 17, 2022, Albemarle County’s Tree Recycling Program offers seven drop-off locations to help local residents dispose of Christmas trees. These sites are open from 7 am until one hour before sunset, seven days a week. The locations are:
- McIntire Recycling Center* – 611 McIntire Rd. Charlottesville, VA 22902
- Claudius Crozet Park – 1075 Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet, VA 22932
- Greenwood Community Center – 865 Greenwood Rd. Crozet, VA 22932
- Chris Greene Lake Park – 4460 Chris Greene Lake Rd. Charlottesville, VA 22911
- Darden Towe Park – 1445 Darden Towe Park, Charlottesville, VA 22911
- Scottsville Community Center – 250 Page St. Scottsville, VA 24590Walnut Creek Park – 4250 Walnut Creek Park North Garden, VA 22959
- Walnut Creek Park – 4250 Walnut Creek Park North Garden, VA 22959
To take advantage of either program, take off all lights, wire, nails, tinsel, ornaments, tree stands and other non-organic materials before recycling. Do not include artificial trees, wreaths or yard waste in your recycling drop-offs. Rules on flocked trees vary; check on the local requirements before trying to recycle them.
*Note that traffic backups occur at the McIntire Recycling Center and the County recommends using the Darden Towe Park location for easy access.
Remember to mark your calendars: Free mulch from recycled trees will be available beginning January 24, 2022 at Darden Towe Park and Claudius Crozet Park!
Options Elsewhere in Virginia and Other States: Many other Virginia urban and suburban areas also offer curbside pickup of Christmas trees during the first two weeks of January and most counties have drop off sites. Don’t forget to check for updated information before heading out to a recycling location. Last-minute changes often happen and these websites typically update in late December or early January. If no information is listed for your local area, contact your trash collection agency or company.
Dos and Don’ts of Recycling Holiday Wreaths and Greenery
Before recycling holiday greenery:
- Be sure to look at it carefully for insect pests or diseases. For example, boxwood is subject to boxwood blight, a fungal disease that affects both English and American boxwood. If any boxwood appears diseased (leaf spots, leaf browning, black streaks on stems or leaf drop), bag it and discard it in your trash, not in you compost pile. Otherwise, the blight will spread to other boxwood plants in your yard and local area.
If your greenery appears pest and disease-free:
- Create habitat for wildlife by using your tree to start a brush pile near woods, fences, or water. Wildlife will thank you for providing shelter and nesting places. And, when the brush pile eventually decomposes, it will build healthy soil for your landscape and garden.
- Use the wood from the Christmas tree to build bird houses, bird feeders, small toys, or as supports for plants.
- Turn the Christmas tree and greenery into mulch for the garden.
These are much better options than discarding your Christmas tree or other greenery by burning it in a fireplace or wood stove because the resulting creosote buildup can cause a fire.
More Ways to Recycle: Browse recycling websites for options to easily recycle old Christmas lights, make DIY projects from broken ornaments and repurposed Christmas cards, and reuse wrapping paper and packaging. There are many creative ways to recycle/reuse holiday items, limited only by your research and imagination!
A new idea gaining popularity: rental of potted live Christmas trees that are returned to the supplier and then re-rented for the following holiday season. Look for opportunities for this sustainable practice in the coming years!
If you are inspired to do some holiday recycling, then consider continuing to try other new recycling strategies in the new year. Check out the Timely Topic on recycling, one of a series of articles on “The 4 R’s of Sustainable Waste Management” on our website. Explore the other three topics – reducing, reusing and rot (composting) for even more tactics that support sustainable environmental practices. Putting these techniques into action is a great way to give a gift to the earth and future generations!
References
“Boxwood Blight is Here and It’s Not Going Away”, Piedmont Master Gardeners, The Garden Shed, 7 Oct 2020.
“Christmas Tree Recycling”, Albemarle County Parks & Recreation Department, 2021.
“How and Where to Recycle or Dispose of Your Christmas Tree in 2021 After the Holidays”, Pick Your Own Christmas Tree.org, Dec 2021.
“Recycle Your Holiday Greenery”, Lerner, Rosie, Purdue University, Yard and Garden News: Winter Gardening Stories.
“Tips for Recycling Your Christmas Tree, Wreaths and Other Holiday Decorations”, Lake Shore Recycling Systems, 13 Dec 2021.
“Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in Virginia after Christmas in January 2022”, Pick Your Own Christmas Tree.org, 19 Dec 2021.
