Christmas is over. We know – it came and went by like a flash. Now, you’ve got that holiday tree and you don’t know what to do with it. In the Austin area, there’s really only one thing to do – recycle it. Austin’s city government makes it easy for you to recycle your tree. They want you to give your tree a new life by recycling it. Isn’t that great?
How can I recycle my holiday tree?
It’s easy. You can either leave it by your curbside if you are a City of Austin curbside customer. If not, you can head on down to Zilker Park and drop your tree off on selected days and times.
Curbside collections of holiday trees
For curbside collection, all you have to do is put your tree out on the day of curbside collection. You should remove all decorations from the tree first. The City asks that you set the tree out by 6:30 am the day of your curbside service. Please remove the stand too. If your tree is over 6 feet tall, it should be cut in half. Just leave the tree outside as is. Do not put it in a plastic bag. They’ll come by and take your tree as they go about their regular route.
Zilker Park Drop-off of holiday trees
If you aren’t a City of Austin curbside customer or just want to join others in a sense of community, head on over to Zilker Park on the following days to recycle your holiday tree:
- Saturday, December 31st
- Saturday, January 7th
- Sunday January 8th
Drop off is between 10 am and 2pm on those days. Make sure your tree has no artificial snow on it. If so, the folks at Zilker cannot accept it for recycling. Again, you should remove all decorations and stands. The trees that are collected will be turned into mulch. The mulch will be available for free on a first-come, first served basis to Austin residents beginning on Thursday, January 19th. If you plan to pick up some mulch, please remember to bring your own tools and storage containers for loading and transporting it.
