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

Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in Louisiana 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.

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

• Ascension Parish, Louisiana
  Drop-off - Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 St. Landry Rd, Gonzales, LA. from 9 am to 1 pm. from December 28 through Sunday in mid-January.
  The drop off location will be the unpaved parking area on the left side as you enter the main gate.
  For more information, call 225-450-1506. (Exact dates may vary from year to year - so call them!)
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Christmas tree curbside recycling program will begin the second week in January with service scheduled to run through the 3rd week of January  The Christmas tree curbside recycling program is available for all East Baton Rouge Parish residents, with the exception of residents inside Baker and Zachary city limits as these cities operate under separate recycling collection service agreements. In order to be collected, trees must be placed curbside a minimum of three feet from other garbage and unbundled trash, with tinsel, stands, lights, and ornaments removed from trees as these items can contaminate the City-Parish's ability to recycle the tree. Residents should avoid placing trees curbside with any flocking, decorations, stands, or in plastic bags; while these will still be picked up as trash, they will not be recycled. Leave recycling cart at the curb over the two-day periods to allow crews to collect the materials
  All sizes clean folded flattened cardboard boxes accepted inside or next to the curbside cart. City-Parish officials are advising residents to leave trees curbside throughout this two-week timeframe as trees may be picked up on days that differ from a resident's normal collection schedule.
  Residents will be able to drop off their Christmas tree for recycling at the following locations from December 26th through late January:
  - Independence Park, parking lot off Lobdell between tennis courts and Liberty Lagoon
  Highland Road Park, 14024 Highland Road
  Memorial Stadium, grassy lot near the corner of Scenic and Foss
  Flannery Road Park, 801 S. Flannery Road
  LSU, Skip Bertman Drive, lot across from Vet School
  
  Please remove stand, decorations and lights
  Do not put tree in a disposal bag
  Put trees in collection containers
  Wrapping paper should be placed inside cart
  No tissue paper or foil paper accepted
  
• Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana - is not offering recycling this year
  
• East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (excluding Baker and Zachary) all trees collected are either mulched or composted. Remove all tinsel, stands, lights, or ornaments from trees and not placed in a bag.
  Curbside - the first 2 weeks of January.
  Drop-off - Sites open December 26 to January 31 - put trees in collection containers
  Independence Park - 7500 Independence Avenue, B.R.
  Highland Road Park - 14024 Highland Rd, B.R.
  Memorial Stadium: Grassy lot near the corner of Scenic and Foss
  Flannery Road Park - 801 S. Flannery, B.R.
  Pecue Wood Recycling Facility - 9544 Pecue Lane, B.R.
  LSU - Skip Bertman Drive (lot across from Vet School)
  
  
• Iberia Parish, Louisiana - is not offering recycling this year
  
  
• Jefferson Parish, Louisiana - trees collected will be recycled for beneficial use - either marsh restoration or composting. Christmas trees will be collected at the location of your regular garbage collection throughout Jefferson Parish, on on Thursday of the first full week in January and that Friday and Saturday. Residents in Unincorporated Jefferson Parish and the Town of Jean Lafitte should place trees curbside on the evening of Wednesday of the first week in January. Trees must meet the following guidelines in order to be recycled: No flocked trees, No artificial trees, No painted trees; Remove all lights, garland, tinsel, ornaments, tree stands and plastic bags. The trees will be recycled in an effort to fight coastal erosion. Click here to view a video that highlights the Parish's efforts to restore important marshland in Lower Lafitte.
  For more information, please contact the Jefferson Parish Department of Coastal Management at 504-736-6719, email [email protected] or visit www.JeffParish.net/Coastal.
  Curbside - Garbage trucks will make one pass through neighborhoods on several mid-week nights in mid-January. (Exact dates may vary from year to year)
  Volunteers are needed for one day in February. Any adult or high school age teen interested in participating should call Coastal Management at 504.736.6441 to register.
  Volunteers with flat bottom boats are also needed. Work will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Lafitte and should end at about 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
  
• Lafayette, Louisiana - trees will be picked up with the yard waste and composted
  
• Lafourche Parish, Louisiana - is not offering recycling this year
  
• Monroe, Louisiana - will conduct Christmas tree recycling from December 26 to Friday of the first full week in January
  or residents may drop off trees at the Monroe Civic Center or Wal-Mart parking lot on Lamy Lane.
  
• New Orleans, Louisiana - trees will be recycled to promote the restoration of Louisiana's wetlands.
  Curbside - On properties serviced by Richard's Disposal and Metro Service Group, trees should go out to the curb by 5 am on their regularly scheduled collection days starting on Thursday of the second full week in January to that Saturday. In the Downtown Development District and French Quarter, which relies on Empire Services, residents should place their trees at the location of regular garbage collection before 4 am on Wednesday, of the second week in January. The citywide effort is funded by the Office of Resilience and Sustainability. 
• Orleans Parish - Residents eligible for garbage collection by the city can put them curbside, before 5 am, on their regularly scheduled second collection day in early to mid-January (for properties served by Richard's Disposal and Metro Services).
  Properties in the French Quarter or DDD (served by Empire Services), should place their trees curbside before 4 am on the second Thursday in January.
  
• Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana- is not offering recycling this year
• St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana - St. John the Baptist Parish will collect real Christmas trees on on curbside trash collection days during the first 2 weeks of  January.
  If you have a real Christmas tree that needs to be collected, please place curbside starting this week for pickup.
  Remove lights, decorations, hooks, nails and other items from the tree prior to placing curbside.
• St. Martin Parish, Louisiana - is not offering recycling this year
• Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana - Drop off at the following locations in January:
  There are several drop off locations throughout the parish; Trees can be dropped off starting in the first week of January.
  Hammond Maintenance Facility, 18104 Hwy. 190 in Hammond (next to Piggly Wiggly Super Market)
  Hours: 7 am to 3:30 pm Mon-Fri, starting December 26 through the end of January.
  Southeastern Sustainability Center, 2101 North Oak Street in Hammond
  Hours: 7 am to 4 pm Mon-Thurs and 8 - 10 am on Fri, through the end of January.
  Middendorf's Restaurant in Manchac, 30160 U.S. 51, Akers, LA 70421.
  Home Depot and Lowe's Hammond locations.
  Please make sure your tree is not flocked and is free of any lights, ornaments, metal stands, or other un-natural materials. Donated trees will be used to help build up marshland in areas that have been impacted by erosion and other factors.
• Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana - the trees collected will go into retention fences called "cribs" along the Intracoastal Waterway near the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge.They provide an effective wave break. Flocked trees and trees with tinsel, decorations, or tree stands cannot be used. lace their Christmas trees in the area of their normal garbage pickup from early January through the end of the second week of January. Residents may also drop off their Christmas trees at the following locations:
  236 Ashland Landfill Road, Houma
  651 Isle of Cuba Road, Schriever
  160 Crochetville Road, MontegutThere are other options:
  Curbside - trees will be picked up during normal garbage pickup in early January
  Drop-off Sites - trees can be dropped off any time prior to the end of the 2nd week of January at TPCG Residential drop-off sites at
  236 Ashland Landfill Road, Houma
  651 Isle of Cuba Road, Schriever
  160 Crochetville Road, Montegut
  
• West Carroll Parish, Louisiana - the trees collected will be mulched. Drop-off - from December 26 to early January at Poverty Point State Historic Site, just west of Epps Town Hall. There will be an area fenced with orange construction fence.
• Other areas: Here is a DEQ list, from their website , but their list is not complete and it is undated. We will watch for updates on their home page. If your parish isn't listed, please call your parish office for instructions.
  

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