Celebrate the New Year with Green Choices in Austin

News Summary

Austin residents can recycle their live Christmas trees starting December 26. The city encourages participation in curbside pickup or a drop-off event at Zilker Park. From January 8, free mulch will be available from collected trees, promoting eco-friendly practices. Travis County residents also have designated drop-off locations for tree recycling. Remember to properly prepare your tree for recycling to protect the environment while enjoying your New Year festivities.

Celebrate the New Year with Green Choices in Austin!

Hey there, Austin! The holidays may have come and gone, but there’s still a chance to keep that festive spirit alive while also being kind to our beautiful planet. This year, the City of Austin and Travis County are rolling out some great tips for how you can recycle your live Christmas trees, making it super easy to give back to nature.

Here’s the Lowdown on Recycling Trees

Starting from December 26, if you’re a curbside customer in Austin, you can simply place your natural Christmas tree out by the curb. Make sure you have it there for collection on your regular trash day! Just remember, this is for natural trees only. Unfortunately, any trees decked out with ornaments, tinsel, lights, or tree stands aren’t going to make it through the recycling process. For those of you with trees taller than six feet, you’ll need to give them a trim; cut the tree in half, so it’s ready for pickup.

Oh, and if your tree has that fancy flocking spray on it, we’ll have to say no, thanks! Also, remember to keep your tree out of plastic bags. Just set it out by 5:30 AM on collection day, and you’re all set!

A Fun Option: Zilker Park Recycling Event

But wait, there’s even more! For those who want to make a day of it, you can drop off your natural Christmas tree at Zilker Park for recycling. The 38th Annual Holiday Tree Recycling events will be happening at Zilker Park from 10 AM to 2 PM on specific days. Make sure to swing by and drop off your tree! This is not just recycling; it’s also a lovely chance to enjoy the park.

The best part? Those collected trees will be transformed into mulch! And starting January 8 at 9 AM, you can grab some of this fabulous mulch completely free, but you’ll have to act fast—it’s a first-come, first-served situation.

Travis County Residents, We’ve Got You Covered!

Travis County residents, don’t worry; you’re not left out of the fun! You can drop off your Christmas trees at one of five designated locations from December 26 to January 12, between 7 AM and 3:30 PM. Your options include:

West Service Center
Del Valle Adult Softball Complex
Northeast Metro Park
1431 Collection Center
East Service Center

While you’re at it, Travis County residents can recycle broken holiday lights at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center, along with packaging materials like Styrofoam and cardboard. Just a quick heads up—wrapping paper and cardboard can go into your blue single-stream recycling cart, but any glitter or foil wrapping paper needs to be tossed in the trash.

Psst! Regarding Styrofoam

For those pesky Styrofoam packing peanuts, they should be sealed in a bag before disposal, and you can drop them off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center, but don’t forget that you need to schedule an appointment first! You can easily set this up through the Austin website.

Keep the New Year Organized!

If your trash, recycling, and compost collections fall on New Year’s Day, don’t fret! Collections will slide over one day this year since New Year’s is on a Sunday. That should make planning your week a bit easier!

Now that you’ve got all the scoop on recycling your Christmas tree and holiday waste, let’s keep Austin green and clean as we welcome 2024. Happy New Year, and don’t forget to recycle!