Los Angeles City California: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in Los Angeles City California 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.

Los Angeles City California: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

Christmas Tree Recycling Programs Los Angeles City California

• For Los Angeles COUNTY residences see this page
  
• Los Angeles City - The City of LA Bureau of Sanitation has CURBSIDE collection for Christmas trees. If your Christmas tree is too big to cut and place it inside the green waste bin, simply place the tree (stripped of ornaments, etc.) next to your green waste bin on collection day. If you want to use your green bin to recycle Christmas tree:
  1. REMOVE all ornaments, decorations, tinsels, and stand from the tree
  2. CUT tree in pieces to fit into the green bin, and
  3. PLACE the tree pieces inside the green bin for regular pick-up on collection day. Collected Christmas trees will be recycled into compost and mulch.
  
  *Flock or artificial trees can't be recycled, place them in the black container.
  
  Residents of multifamily buildings (Multi-Family Residential Recycling Program Participation (MFRRP)) are requested to place their Christmas trees at the curbside on the collection day in your neighborhood. Whether you are serviced by LA Sanitation or a private hauler, we will pick up your tree on your neighborhood's scheduled collection day. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel, and the stand from tree. Click this link and enter your address to find the scheduled collection day in your neighborhood. . Please visit our Holiday Collections page for more information or call our 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489. Visit the City website for collection day information . You may also recycle trees by bringing them to one of the drop-off sites operated by the City. Click here for drop-off locations of the City's program as well as more detailed information.
  Recreation and Park locations and participating Fire Stations: Recreation & Park will accept Christmas trees for ONE DAY ONLY (usually the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day from 9 AM to 4:00 pm) 
  
  Los Angeles Zoo Parking Lot, Griffith Park, junction of Golden State (Interstate 5) and Ventura (State Route 134) Freeways
  Baldwin Hills: Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, 5001 Rodeo Road
  Encino: Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Boulevard
  Rancho Park: Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Avenue
  Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Boulevard
  Westchester Municipal Building. 7166 West Manchester Avenue
  Some locations will not be open. Check the listing of locations on this page. There will be NO giveaways and we will NOT be accepting holiday wrapping and packaging material at sites. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsels, and stand from tree.
• Visit 888CleanLA.com or call (888) Clean-LA between 7 am and 5 pm, Monday through Thursday for more information. Residents can recycle at home by removing ornaments, cutting the tree into several pieces and placing the timber into green recycling bins. If you have general questions about the environmental programs offered in Los Angeles County. For information on how you can reduce your waste this holiday season, visit our Helpful Holiday Hints for Waste Reduction page.
  You can also drop off your trees at one of these 16 city-operated tree recycling sites:
  LOS ANGELES ZOO At Griffith Park, Junction Of Golden State (5) & Ventura (134) Frwys
  ARLETA Branford Park, 13300 Branford Street
  BALDWIN HILLS Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, 5001 Rodeo Road
  BOYLE HEIGHTS Hollenbeck Recreation Center, 415 South St. Louis Street
  CHATSWORTH Chatsworth Park South, 22360 Devonshire Street
  CRENSHAW Rancho Cienega Recreation Center, 5001 Rodeo Road
  ENCINO Balboa Sports Center, 17015 Burbank Boulevard
  HARBOR CITY Harbor Regional Park, 25820 Vermont Avenue
  HIGHLAND PARK Highland Park Senior Citizen Center, 6152 N. Figueroa Street

HOLLYWOOD Hollywood Bowl, 2301 North Highland Boulevard
RANCHO PARK Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, 2551 Motor Avenue
SUNLAND Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Boulevard
SYLMAR Sylmar Park, 13109 Borden Avenue
WESTCHESTER Westchester Municipal Building, 7166 West Manchester Avenue

Recycling other types of Holiday Waste

• In addition, holiday wrapping paper, cartons, cardboard, Styrofoam and other expanded polystyrene products, plastics and gift boxes are also recyclable and should be placed in the blue bin. However, it is illegal to place household hazardous waste, such as electronics (i.e. televisions and computers) and batteries into the collection bins. Please take those items to one of seven S.A.F.E. Centers for safe disposal and recycling.
  
  

Multi-family Residential Recycling Program Participation

• Residents of multifamily buildings are requested to place their Christmas trees at the curbside on the collection day in your neighborhood. Whether you are serviced by LA Sanitation or a recycling service provider, we will pick up your tree on your neighborhood scheduled collection day. You can check for the collection day from our homepage. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and the stand from the tree. Artificial trees and flocked trees cannot be accepted - please place them in your black bin.
  
  

Mulching Facilities

• The following mulching facilities will accept trees until the end of January. Trees can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Holiday wrapping and packaging materials will not be accepted. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and the stand from the tree prior to dropping it off. Artificial trees and flocked trees cannot be accepted - please place them in your black bin.
  
  LOPEZ CANYON ENVIRONMENTAL AND EDUCATION CENTER
  11950 Lopez Canyon Road
  Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
  January 2-31,
  Mon-Sun, 9:00am-4:00 pm
  
  HARBOR MULCH FACILITY
  Harbor Mulch Facility
  1400 N. Gaffey Street
  San Pedro, CA 90731
  January 2-31,
  Mon-Sun, 9:00am-4:00 pm
  
  

One-day drop off at Recreation and Park locations

• Christmas trees can be dropped off on Sunday, January 7, 2024 (it's always the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day) at six Recreation and Park locations from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Holiday wrapping and packaging materials will not be accepted. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and the stand from the tree prior to dropping it off. Artificial trees and flocked trees cannot be accepted - please place them in your black bin.
  
  Los Angeles Zoo Parking Lot
  At Griffith Park,
  Junction of Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) Freeways
  
  Baldwin Hills
  Rancho Cienega Recreation Center
  5001 Rodeo Road
  
  Encino
  Balboa Sports Center
  17015 Burbank Boulevard
  
  Rancho Park
  Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
  2551 Motor Avenue
  
  Sunland
  Sunland Park
  8651 Foothill Boulevard
  
  Westchester
  Westchester Municipal Building
  7166 West Manchester Avenue
  
  

Drop off locations at Fire Stations

• The following fire station locations will accept Christmas trees until mid-January, December 24, 2023 to January 12, 2024 They will not be accepting holiday wrapping and packaging material. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and the stand from tree prior to dropping it off. Artificial trees and flocked trees cannot be accepted - please place them in your black bin.
  
  FIRE STATION #3
  108 N. Fremont Avenue, 90012 - Civic Center / Bunker Hill
  (213) 485-6203
  
  FIRE STATION #21
  1192 E. 51st Street, 90011 - South Los Angeles
  (213) 485-6221
  
  FIRE STATION #28
  11641 Corbin Avenue, 91326 - Porter Ranch
  (818) 756-9728
  
  FIRE STATION #29
  4029 Wilshire Boulevard - 90010 - Hancock Park
  (213) 485-6229
  FIRE STATION #36
  1005 N. Gaffey Street, 90731 - North San Pedro
  (310) 548-7538
  
  FIRE STATION #44 1410 Cypress Avenue, 90065 - Cypress Park
  (213) 485-6264
  
  FIRE STATION #64
  10811 S. Main Street, 90061 - South Los Angeles
  (213) 485-6264
  
  FIRE STATION #65
  1801 E. Century Boulevard, 90002 - Watts
  (213) 485-6265
  
  FIRE STATION #77
  9224 Sunland Boulevard, 91352 - Sun Valley
  (818) 756-8677
  
  
  
  FIRE STATION #81
  14355 Arminta Street, 91402 - Panorama City
  (818) 756-8681
  
  FIRE STATION #88
  5101 N. Sepulveda Boulevard, 91403 - Sherman Oaks
  (818) 756-8606
  
  FIRE STATION #94
  4470 Coliseum Street, 90016 - South Los Angeles
  (213) 485-6294
  
  FIRE STATION #106
  23004 Roscoe Boulevard, 91304 - West Hills
  (818) 756-8606
  
  For more information, please contact LA Sanitation's 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489.

If you miss your free pickup:

California Christmas Tree Recycling - has a service for which you must pay - Click here there to reserve your pick-up online with this easy form. They say they will contact you within 24 hours with a confirmation and price quote. or Call today to book your 4 hour time slot. Los Angeles (310) 584-6589 San Fernando Valley (818) 986-1300 San Diego County (858) 433-0359 Prices start at (Prices may have changed!) $25 and go up with the size of the tree.

• Note about Monterey Pine disposal: take precautions when disposing of your Christmas trees this year to help control the spread of pine pitch canker, an incurable disease that has killed thousands of Monterey pine trees. Pine pitch canker, a fungal disease recently introduced to California, causes dieback and mortality in native and ornamental pine trees. It may also infect Monterey pine Christmas trees. While every attempt is made to sell only disease-free Christmas trees, some trees could harbor the disease without showing symptoms. Since there is no known cure for pitch canker, limiting its spread is the key to prevention. The disease is present in 16 coastal and adjacent inland California counties from Mendocino to San Diego. Bark beetles, which carry the fungus, primarily infest Monterey and Bishop pines but also feed and breed on inland forest trees such as Ponderosa pine. As yet, the disease has not been found in the Sierras. It does not infect humans, pets or other plants.

Los Angeles Reference

If you do not find your area above (which is unlikely, this is a fairly comprehensive list), click here to contact your city or county's recycling coordinator directly.

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