Wondering what to do with your Christmas tree? The city of Austin is making it easy for you to recycle your tree, just like they’ve been doing for 30 years!
City of Austin curbside customers can put drop their Christmas tree at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on the regularly scheduled compost collection day. All trees for curbside collection that are six feet or taller must be cut in half.
All Austinites, including those without City of Austin curbside service, can drop off their trees at the Zilker Park Polo Fields between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the following days:
- Saturday, December 30, 2023
- Saturday, January 6, 2024
- Sunday, January 7, 2024
Each year, holiday tree recycling keeps nearly 20,000 trees out of area landfills, contributing to the City’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2040.
The following Christmas tree recycling guidelines must be followed for both curbside and Zilker Park dropoff:
- Trees sprayed with flocking or artificial snow are not accepted.
- Remove all ornaments, tinsel, decorations, lights and tree stands.
- Do not place trees in plastic bags.
- Only natural, non-artificial trees may be recycled.
Trees collected at Zilker Park will be turned into mulch and available for free on a first-come, first-served basis beginning January 10 at 9 a.m. (date and time subject to change due to weather).
For a list of alternative drop-off locations provided by Travis County or businesses that take natural trees, visit austintexas.gov/treerecycling.
More Christmas tree recycling options near Austin:
Info for more area cities can be found here and find more drop off locations here.
Featured photo via iStock/ Dima Berlin.
