Whether your live Christmas tree is shedding its needles, or your scraggly faux fir has seen better days, make sure you’re following the proper procedures to recycle the tree.
First, remove all ornaments, tinsel, tree stands, bags, and other decorations from your tree. Then, follow collection instructions for your locality.
Baltimore City
Baltimore City’s Department of Public Works is offering free Christmas tree mulching through Feb. 3. Residents should take their live trees to the Northwest Residential Drop-off Center (2840 Sisson St.) between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Bring bags or containers to collect mulch to use in your garden bed.
Residents can also put out their trees with regular weekly trash collection until Feb. 9.
Baltimore County
Starting Jan. 8, Baltimore County will collect live Christmas trees for recycling (no artificial trees). Christmas trees should be placed at residents’ regular trash and recycling collection location. The county will not necessarily collect the trees on residents’ scheduled trash or recycling days, so residents should leave the trees out until collection occurs. Trees must be placed out by Jan. 13 to make sure they get collected.
Apartment or condominium residents should follow their property manager’s rules for Christmas tree recycling.
Collectors will deliver the trees to Baltimore County facilities, where the trees will be turned into mulch.
Residents can also drop off Christmas trees themselves at one of the county’s three drop-off locations:
- Eastern Sanitary Landfill (ESL) Solid Waste Management Facility in White Marsh; located at 6259 Days Cove Road, White Marsh, Maryland 21162; Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday
- Central Acceptance Facility (CAF) in Cockeysville; located at 201 West Warren Road, Cockeysville, Maryland 21030; Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday
- Western Acceptance Facility (WAF) in Halethorpe; located at 3310 Transway Road, Halethorpe, Maryland 21227; Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday
Howard County
Through Jan. 20, Howard County residents can take their live tree to one of the following locations and look for “Merry Mulch” signs:
- Clarksville: Kendall Hardware (12260 Rt. 108)
- Columbia: Cedar Lane Park (5081 Cedar Lane)
- Elkridge: Rockburn Park (5400 Landing Road)
- Ellicott City: Clarks Ace Hardware (10325 Baltimore National Pike)
- Ellicott City: Old Circuit Court upper parking Court House Drive (just past Ellicott Mills Drive, on the right)
- Highland: Schooley Mill Park (12975 Hall Shop Road)
- Marriottsville: Alpha Ridge Landfill Wood Waste Area (2350 Marriottsville Road)
- Savage: Savage Park (8400 Fair Street)
- Woodbine: Western Regional Park (14800 Carrs Mill Road)
If you miss the Merry Mulch season, you can take your tree (with no plastic bags) to the Alpha Ridge Wood Waste Area from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Howard County residents with Yard Trim Collection can also cut their trees into less than 4-foot lengths, tied them up into bundles weighing no more than 40 pounds, and set them out the night before pickup. If you are unsure whether you receive yard trim service, you can call 410-313-6444.
For those with artificial trees with metal components, you can take them to the scrap metal area at the Alpha Ridge Landfill in Marriottsville (2350 Marriottsville Road).
Harford County
Harford County residents can take their Christmas trees to be recycled at the following locations:
- Harford Mulch & Compost Facility; located at 3139 Scarboro Road, Street, Maryland 21154; Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday
- Tollgate Yard Trim Facility; located at 703 N. Tollgate Road, Bel Air, Maryland 21014; Hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays only
- Southern Tree-Only Recycling; located at 808 Philadelphia Road, Joppa, Maryland 21085; Hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays in January
For additional questions, residents can call 410-638-3417 or visit www.harfordrecycles.org.
For a list of Christmas tree recycling instructions for other Maryland counties, visit the Maryland Department of the Environment’s website.
