Where and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in West Virginia 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.
West Virginia: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024
- Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County Solid
Waste Authority (BCSWA) offers two options for the recycling of
organic Christmas trees for Berkeley County residents.
Option 1: Free
Drop Off:
Effective immediately, the Grapevine Road Recycling
Center and the South Berkeley Recycling Center will be accepting
Christmas trees, free of charge. Both recycling centers are open
every Tuesday through Saturday; 9 am to 5 pm. To find more information
on the Berkeley County Recycling Program, feel free to call at
304-267-9370.
Option 2: Voluntary Curbside Pickup:
Apple
Valley Waste is offering a by appointment voluntary curbside
collection of Christmas tree for three days in January. The actual
pickup dates are January 7th, 14th or 21st. The cost for the pickup
service is $10.00 per tree. Apple Valley Waste will donate half of
the proceeds from the Christmas tree curbside collection to the Boys
& Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle; Martinsburg - Berkeley County
Unit. Berkeley County residents desiring pickup service must call
Apple Valley Waste at 304-724-1834 or 877-267-1280 during business
hours to schedule the pickup. Apple Valley Waste will recycle the
trees at the Grapevine Road Recycling Center.
Qualifications:
To qualify for acceptance, each Christmas tree must be organic and
have all lights, ornaments, tinsel, wire, stands and all other forms
of decoration removed. A good rule of thumb is to return the tree to
the same natural state in which it was purchased. Each tree will be
inspected by the recycling center staff prior to acceptance.
Christmas tree vendors with excess stock are encouraged to
participate in the free drop off program.
- Charleston, West Virginia
The West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection and West Virginia Division of
Natural Resources will host their annual Christmas tree recycling
event from 10 am to 2 pm. on the first Saturday, in the new year,
at the Capitol Market in downtown Charleston.
Over the years,
thousands of live trees have been collected and placed in lakes
across West Virginia to improve fish habitat. "The trees enhance
existing fish habitat in lakes and serve as fish-attracting
structures for increased fishing opportunities," said Bret Preston,
assistant chief of DNR's Wildlife Resources Section.
To be
accepted, all decorations must be removed from the tree, including
ornaments, tinsel and stands. Those who drop off trees can enter
their names into drawings for a day of skiing for two at Winterplace
Resort, a free night's lodging and breakfast at Chief Logan Lodge,
and a $25 gift card from Capitol Market.
The recycling event
yielded close to 500 trees last year. The DEP's Rehabilitation
Environmental Action Plan (REAP) program coordinates the tree
recycling effort.
"This continues to be an extremely popular
event with area residents and we hope it stays that way," said Danny
Haught, chief of the DEP's REAP program. "Not only does it benefit
the fish habitat in West Virginia's beautiful lakes, it also helps
our environment by keeping these trees out of our landfills."
For more information, contact the DEP's Sandy Rogers at
304-926-0499, ext. 1004, or email
[email protected]
.
- Huntington, WV
The City of Huntington's Public Works Department will offer seven
drop-off locations where residents can dispose of their Christmas
tree after the holidays. Residents are asked to refrain from setting
out their trees with their household garbage, because the sap can
damage the packer trucks. The drop-off locations are as follows:
East end of Harris Riverfront Park (use 12th Street entrance)
Former Olympic Pool site along Memorial Boulevard
St. Cloud
Commons (19th Street West entrance)
Parking lot of former League
6 baseball field on Ferguson Road
McClelland Park (parking lot)
Westmoreland Park (Vernon Street side)
Altizer Park
The city is in the process of securing agreements with state parks
in the area to ensure the trees will be used for fish
habitats.residents can drop off their Christmas trees.
The
disposal of the trees is free to city residents.
Click here for a link to our Facebook page
. City residents who are unable to take their trees to the
drop-off locations can schedule a free pick-up at their residence by
calling 304-696-4431 between 6:30 am and 2:30 pm Monday through
Friday. The Sanitation and Trash Division will pick up the
tree on the same day as weekly household garbage.
- Weirton, WV
The Public Works Recycling Division will
begin curbside collection of Christmas Trees from early January
though February 28th. On residents regularly scheduled refuse
collection day, residents are required to have their trees curbside
by 7:00 am Christmas trees are taken to a local compost facility
where they are placed in a chipper to create reusable mulch. To
avoid damaging the machine, residents are asked to remove all
lights, ornaments, tinsel, and other materials from their tree
before recycling. For more information call John Brown at the
Weirton Public Works Department at (304) 797-8543