Hillsborough County Florida: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in Hillsborough County Florida after Christmas 2024 and in January 2025

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.

Hillsborough County Florida: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

• Hillsborough County - Click here for locations, updated information and more details.
  Pickup at the Curb - Curbside pickup of live Christmas trees is available to County solid waste customers by following these steps:
  Remove all decorations, lights, and tinsel;
  Cut the tree into sections no larger than 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter; and
  Place curbside on your regular yard waste collection day.
  Or Drop it Off:
  Hillsborough County solid waste customers can skip the hassle and work of cutting their live Christmas trees into smaller pieces for curbside pickup by taking trees directly to one of the following Yard Waste Processing Facilities:
  346 Falkenburg Road in Tampa
  13001 U.S. 41 in Gibsonton
  8001 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa
  The County's three yard waste sites are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 am until 5 pm, with the exception of holidays. The sites will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Customers are required to have a photo I.D. and their current property tax bill showing the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Disposal Assessment to access the Yard Waste Processing Facilities, and they must be able to unload the trees themselves. Customers should also remove all decorations, lights, and tinsel. Artificial trees are not accepted at the yard waste sites. For any questions about taking trees to a Yard Waste Processing Facility, call Hillsborough County Solid Waste at (813) 272-5680. Non-county residential solid waste customers can dispose of Christmas trees and other yard waste at a Hillsborough County Yard Waste Processing Facility by paying a tonnage fee.
• Pinellas County - Click here for details -
  it depends which city or town you are in.
• Sarasota County -
  locations, updated information and more details.
• Tampa - Christmas Day Holiday Collection Schedule Click here for locations: Locations, updated information and more details.
  The City of Tampa Department of Solid Waste & Environmental Program Management offers free removal, pick up and recycling of your Christmas tree Christmas Tree Collection Service will occur on
   Monday, December 31st through the second Friday in January.
  In order to receive service, residents must
  - remove all decorations and lights,
  - cut tree limbs to four feet lengths,
  - bundle the cut pieces, and
  - place curbside on their regularly scheduled yard waste collection day.
  
  Your pick-up day will be the regularly-scheduled yard waste collection day(s). Areas without yard waste recycling service, will have trees picked up on the first Thursday and Friday of January
  
  Drop off your tree after the second week in January
  You can deliver your tree to the Manhattan Brush site, or at the McKay Bay Waste-to-Energy Facility. Hours are 8 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Saturday and 8 am to noon Sunday. Trees will be ground up and used as mulch. Residents are asked to remove all decorations and lights, cut trees limbs to four feet lengths, bundle, and place at curbside on their regularly scheduled yard-waste collection day.
  
  For additional questions or concerns, please call the City of Tampa Utilities Consolidated Call Center at (813) 274-8811, or visit the website at www.tampagov.net/solidwaste .
  
  NOTE: New Tampa residents are encouraged to contact Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management at (813) 272-5680 for their holiday collection schedule.
  For additional information, please contact: Ashley Bauman, Public Affairs Director, (813) 274-8262. [email protected].

For Easter egg Hunts, Children's Consignment Sales, Local Farm Markets and other types of Farms, click here.