How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas TreesWhere and How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees in West Virginia after Christmas 2023 and in January 2024

How to Recycle or Dispose of Christmas Trees

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 Grinding Christmas trees into mulchnot 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

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