Tennessee: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in Tennessee after Christmas 2023 and in January 2024

In many urban and suburban areas, Christmas trees are collected from curbside during the first 2 weeks in January. Be sure to remove all remove all lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands, other NON-Organic decorative materials and other materials that are not part of the original tree. This includes tree stands also. Flocked trees are usually accepted, but not artificial trees. Large trees (larger than the standard 6 - 7 ft tree) may need to be cut in half to be acceptable by your garbage hauler. But scrroll down this page for more specific information and local links.

What happens to the trees? In most cases, the trees are chipped and made into a mulch which is usually made available, free to city or county residents. Important: Never burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace or wood stove. Burning the tree may contribute to creosote buildup and could cause a chimney fire.

Tips: Always follow the links (usually the name of the city or county) below for updated information, as these agencies often wait until the last minute to change dates or update their information (it's government, remember?). If your area is not specifically mentioned below, contact your trash collection agency and inquire!

Related information:

See this page for local options to easily recycle your Christmas holiday lights

If it has just snowed; see this page about how to make snocones from real snow! Your kids will love it!

Click here for the list of winter sleigh ride locations!

See our easy recipes to make a Chocolate Yule log and click here to make your own low-fat, low calorie but delicious Egg Nog ! Then come back to our other website in March to find a local Easter Egg Hunt for your children ! There are affiliate links on this page. Read our disclosure policy to learn more.

Tennessee: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

• Chattanooga, TN - Curbside recycling from December 26th through January, for live trees; Request a pickup through the city's 311 system by calling 423-643-6311, emailing [email protected] or using the CHATT311 app. If you use the app, choose the "Brush Collection" option and request a "live Christmas tree pickup". Public works is offering Christmas tree pickup for live Christmas trees at any of the five recycling centers in the city. City residents can also drop off live Christmas
  If you have an artificial tree to recycle'; you use the same method, but ask for a "bulky item" pickup.
  There are also recycling centers open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm ;,Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm on and on Sunday from 1 pm 5 pm at the following locations:
  5955 Brainerd Road
  1250 E. 3rd Street
  3189 Cummings Hwy
  8004 Batters Place Road
  4504 N. Access Road Click here for locations, updated information and more details.
• Hamilton County Christmas Tree Recycling - accepts Christmas trees at any hour of the day at all five Hamilton County Recycling Centers through the month of January. Each Center has a designated space located outside the gate for Christmas trees. Participation is encouraged as trees dropped-off will be used by the Tennessee Department of Wildlife and Forestry Division and the Hamilton County Highway Department. The Highway Department chips the trees into mulch for walking trails, landscaping and landfill ground cover. Hamilton County residents are welcome to pick-up mulch from the chip yard located at the Highway Department on Standifer Gap Road at no charge.
  Household recyclables are accepted at the centers during normal center hours. Residentsive Christmas trees awaiting curbside pickup should place a service request with 311. Service requests can be submitted using the CHATT311 app on an Apple or Android device, by emailing the request to [email protected], or by calling 311 at 423-643-6311. Residents should contact 311 with any additional questions.
  HAMILTON COUNTY'S RECYCLING CENTERS: LOCATIONS & HOURS
  Middle Valley Recycling Center
  1900 Crabtree Road, Hixson, ((423) 843-9317
  Monday & Wednesday 9:00 am till 5:00 pm
  Saturday 8:00 am till 4:00 pm
  Standifer Gap Recycling Center
  7625 Standifer Gap Road, (423) 855-6125
  Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am till 5:00 pm
  Saturday 8:00 am till 4:00 pm
  Sequoyah Recycling Center
  9525 Lovell Road, Soddy- Daisy, (423) 842-2391
  Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 8:00 am till 4:00 pm
  Highway 58 Recycling Center
  5414 Highway 58, (423) 326-0992
  Monday & Wednesday, 9:00 am till 5:00p.m.
  Saturday 8:00 am till 4:00 pm
  Red Bank Recycling Center
  4851-B Dayton Blvd, (423) 876-2010
  Tuesday & Thursday. 9:00 am till 5:00 pm
  Saturday 8:00 am till 4:00 pm
• Knoxville, TN - After January 1st, City residents can leave trees at one of the Knox County convenience centers listed below: Trees must be cleaned of all ornaments, lights, wire, string and other decor before bringing them to be tree-cycled. *Christmas tree collection in the City is the same process as for brush collection. After all decorations have been removed, trees should be placed at the street for collection.
  CHRISTMAS LIGHTS RECYCLING: You can recycle your old or unwanted Christmas lights at the following locations:
  - Any donation store should take working holiday lights-- if not in working condition you can still bring them to any Goodwill donation store for recycling
  - Any City of Knoxville recycling drop-off center (ONLY when given to a Goodwill attendant between 8am - 8pm!)
  - County convenience centers at Halls, Dutchtown, John Sevier, & Karns (MUST be given to an attendant!)
  - The City of Knoxville HHW facility located at 1033 Elm St (for City and Knox County residents only)
  
• Knoxville County Tree-Cycling Program - Knox County, TN - Treecycling Program. Both Knox County and City residents can also take advantage of the County's Tree-Cycling program. Trees must be cleaned of all ornaments, lights, wire, string and other decor before bringing them to be tree-cycled. More info available at Knox County Solid Waste
  After January 1st, City residents can leave trees at one of the Knox County convenience centers listed below:
  Carter Convenience Center - 8815 Asheville Highway
  Dutchtown Convenience Center - 10618 Dutchtown Road
  Halls Convenience Center - 3608 Neal Drive
  John Sevier Convenience Center - 1950 West John Sevier Highway
  Karns Convenience Center - 6930 Karns Crossing Lane
  Powell Convenience Center - 7311 Morton View Lane
  Tazewell Pike Convenience Center - 7201 Tazewell Pike
  You can also recycle your old or unwanted Christmas lights at the following locations:
  , Any donation store should take working holiday lights-- if not in working condition you can still bring them to any Goodwill donation store for recycling
  , Any City of Knoxville recycling drop-off center (ONLY when given to a Goodwill attendant between 9 am to 5pm!)
  , County convenience centers at Halls, Dutchtown, John Sevier, & Karns (MUST be given to an attendant!)
  , The City of Knoxville HHW facility located at 1033 Elm St (for City and Knox County residents only)
  - 2218 Cumberland Ave
  - 13065 Kingston Pike
  - 405 Lovell Rd
  - 6900 Maynardville Pike
  - 410 Merchants Rd
  - 421 North Cedar Bluff Rd
  - 136 N Northshore Dr
  - 9550 Northshore Dr
  - 7686 Northshore Dr
  - 5800 Oak Ridge Highway
  - 2918 Tazewell Pike
  - 206 Walker Springs Rd
  Other Christmas lights drop-off locations include:
  - Three Rivers Market at 1100 N Central Street
  - Scripps Network at 550 Frank Gardner Ln
  - Sunshine Industries Headquarters at 3000 N. Central Street.
  By donating your old lights to the above listed locations, you can keep them out of the landfill and properly recycle them plus this effort supports Arc Knox County/Sunshine Industries in providing jobs for adults with disabilities. Other drop-off locations not affiliated with Sunshine Industries include:
  - Any City of Knoxville recycling drop-off center (ONLY when given to a Goodwill attendant between 9 am to 5 pm!)
  - County convenience centers at Halls, Dutchtown, John Sevier, & Karns (MUST be given to an attendant!)
  - The City of Knoxville HHW facility located at 1033 Elm St (for City and Knox County residents only)
  

• Memphis, TN - Curbside pickup, usually the first week in January. Click here for locations, updated information and more details.
  You can also drop your tree from December 26th to the end of the first week in January.at the Agricenter International
  105 S. Germantown Pkwy., Cordova, TN 38018. Phone: (901) 378-7470.
  Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Saturday & Sunday
• Murfreesboro - Christmas Tree Recycling - Christmas trees may be dropped off at the recycling area at Cannonsburgh Historic Village at 312 S. Front Street beginning on Thursday, December 22 through January 6. As the trees accumulate, they will either be picked up by the Solid Waste Department and taken to their facility to be chipped and/or the Urban Environmental Department will chip them on site and unload the chips at their facility to be used for mulching landscaped areas. Trees may also be taken directly to the Solid Waste mulching site at 4765 Florence Road or, if placed by the curb, Solid Waste will pick them up on their regular yard waste cycle. These departments ask that you strip the trees of all ornaments, lights and tinsel as they cannot be chipped with any remaining decoration. Do not bag the tree. Flocked trees cannot be mulched and are not accepted.Click here for locations, updated information and more details.
• Nashville, TN - Click here for locations, updated information and more details. Metro Nashville Christmas Tree-cycling No matter where you live in Davidson County, recycling your Christmas tree is easy. Last year, Nashvillians dropped off almost 10,500 trees for recycling through Metro Nashville's Christmas Tree Recycling Drop-off Program! The Christmas Tree Recycling Drop-off program will run from December 26th to mid-February, Operating hours are Friday 7 AM to 4:30 PM; Saturday 8 AM to 3 PM.at the following locations:
  Cane Ridge, 419 Battle Road
  Cedar Hill, 860 Old Hickory Blvd.
  Edwin Warner, 50 Vaughn Road
  Elmington, 3531 West End Ave.
  Fred Douglas Park, 210 North 7th Street
  Joelton Community Park, 21 Joelton Community Center Road
  Lakewood City Hall, 3401 Hadley Ave, Old Hickory, Tennessee
  Richland, 4601 Charlotte Pike
  Sevier, corner of Clayton Ave and Granny White Pike, near picnic shelters
  Two Rivers, 3150 McGavock Pike
  Una Recreation Center, 134 Una Recreation Road
  Whitfield, Edmondson Pike at Brewer Drive
  Both of Living Earth's locations at 1511 Elm Hill Pike and 6401 Centennial Blvd. (Living Earth's of Tennessee's operating hours are Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm; Saturday 7:30 am to noon)
  Trees must be cleaned of all ornaments, lights, wire, string and other decor before bringing them to be tree-cycled. No artificial trees can be accepted. Please do not dump any other items at these drop-off locations. Public Works will take the trees to our contractor, Nature's Best Organics of Tennessee to be chipped and composted into mulch. Recycling Christmas trees into mulch, rather than putting them in the trash, keeps them out of landfills and helps save Metro the cost of disposal fees. For more information about Nashville's recycling programs, call 615-862-8750 or visit our website at www.nashville.gov/Public-Works .
• Rutherford County, TN - Rutherford County Residents can drop off live Christmas trees for recycling at the solid waste department and Cannonsburgh Village. For more info call 615-893-4380. Residents can also drop off their Christmas trees stripped of decorations, lights, stands, tinsel, etc to be recycled at any of the following locations:
  Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village - 312 South Front Street - 9 am to 4 pm. from December 26 to mid-January
  Murfreesboro Solid Waste Facility - 4765 Florence Road - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 6:30 am to 3:30 pm
  Lee Victory Recreation Park in Smyrna - 110 Sam Ridley Parkway - 6 am to 10 pm. daily
  La Vergne Public Works Facility - 148 International Blvd - 7 am to 5 pm. daily December 26 to mid-January
• Shelby County, TN - If you have curbside service in the City of Memphis or Collierville, you can place your tree at your own curb for collection and it will get turned into mulch.
  THERE IS NOTHING ON THEIR CALENDAR ABOUT THE SHOWPLACE ARENA DROP-OFF SO IT IS POSSIBLE (BUT UNLIKELY) THEY MAY HAVE DISCONTINUED IT - CALL THEM (901) 757-7777. Ans ask them when they never update their website or post anything online about it!
   Drop Christmas trees off in the big parking lot in front of the ShowPlace Arena Look for the signs pointing the way to the roped-off area where the trees can be left. Christmas Tree Recycling - Dec 22 - early January  (no set hours). Take your Christmas tree, wreaths, garlands & greenery to the Christmas tree recycling center located in the south parking lot of the Shelby County Showplace Arena (105 Germantown Rd). Last year 40+ tons of Christmas greenery were collected and turned into mulch. Mulch will be available to the public in the spring. Drop off your real tree or wreath at Agricenter's ShowPlace Arena lot in the designated area between Make sure there are NO decorations on the greenery. This is the 20th year Shelby County Government has provided this recycling option.
• Sumner County - The Sumner County Resource Authority will take Christmas trees for $1.25 for up to 100 pounds. Take live Christmas trees (stripped of decorations, lights, stands, tinsel, etc.) to the Rappahannock Wire Rd. facility on Monday to Friday from 6 am to 5 pm. and Saturdays from 7 am to 4 pm.
• Williamson County - Trees will be accepted at the following locations below. Tree stands, plastic wrapping, nails, ornaments, lights and tinsel must be removed. Recycle your tree at Drop-Off Locations will be set up at City of Franklin, City of Brentwood, and City of Fairview Parks. Recycling Boxes are also available year-round at all 10 Williamson County convenience centers. Recycled fresh-cut trees will be turned into wood chips to be used in local parks and for local, natural erosion control at the county landfill. Recycling Boxes are also available year-round at all 10 Williamson County convenience centers.
  Brentwood 6:30 am till dusk - mid-January
  Crockett Park
  Granny White Park
  River Park
  City of Fairview - Bowie Nature Park, December 26 through the end of January
  City of Franklin - dawn till dusk - early February
  Curbside service and drop-off at Jim Warren Park, Liberty Park, Fieldstone Park
  Convenience Centers yard waste recycling year round
  Bethesda, College Grove, Fairview, Grassland, Hillsboro, Nolensville, Southall, Thompson Station, Trinit, Landfill
  *Fairview's Bowie Nature Center 799-5544.
• Wilson County - Take your live Christmas tree, wreaths, garlands & greenery to one of the following:
  - the Rockwood Recycling in Lebanon at 510 Hartmann Drive from December 26 to the first Saturday in January.
  - the Wilson County landfill, 378 Dump Road, Monday to Friday from 7 am to 3 pm. (for Wilson County residents ONL- County waste customers may use curbside recycling b y putting their trees out by 7 am. They will be collected on the regular chipping service day.
  

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