How to recycle your Christmas tree in Maryland, DC and Virginia

With Christmas 2018 now past, you may want to take down your Christmas tree. Several districts in DC, Maryland and Virginia offer tree collection and recycling services to residents. Many places even turn trees and any yard/plant waste into mulch that you can have for free.

Before taking your tree down, be sure to remove all ornaments and lights; do not put trees and greenery in a bag. If you have a large tree, you should consider cutting it into smaller pieces to help with collection and disposal.

D.C.

D.C. Department of Public Works says holiday trees and greenery will be collected between Jan. 14 and Feb. 2. Residents are asked to place holiday trees and greenery where their trash is collected.

Trees can also be brought to the Fort Totten and Benning Road transfer stations.

MARYLAND

Montgomery County
Montgomery County accepts Christmas trees year-round via curbside yard trim collection. County residents should set their Christmas trees at the curb by 7 a.m. on recycling collection days.

Prince George's County
Prince George's County residents can leave their trees by the curb from Dec. 31 through Jan. 28 for recycling. Trees left by the curb by 6 a.m. will be picked up on yard waste collection days. They can also be taken to the Brown Station Road Public Container Pad and Recycling Center or the Missouri Ave. Solid Waste Acceptance and Recycling Center.

Frederick County
Tree recycling is available from Dec. 26, 2018 through Jan. 27, 2019 at one of seven county sites:

Howard County
Tree collection is available from Dec. 26- Jan. 19. Residents with yard trim collection can place their trees on curb by 6 a.m. on the day off service.

They can also be dropped at one of nine locations in the county:

Anne Arundel County
Tree collection occurs year-round on Yard Waste days before 6 a.m. from regular collection spot. Trees can also be brought to any county recycling center.

Charles County
Tree collection is running Dec. 26 through Jan. 13, 2019. Residents are asked to drop off their Christmas trees at any of these 12 locations:

VIRGINIA

Fairfax County
Christmas tree collection and recycling is available curbside the first two weeks in January.

Alexandria
Christmas trees can be recycled curbside by residents who receive trash collection services from the city. Alexandria City asks that trees be set at your regular yard waste collection point, on your trash collection day.

Arlington County
After Jan. 11, Christmas trees are handled at curbside as part of regular year-round yard waste collection, which means turned into mulch. Trees over 8-feet long will need to be dismantled. Arlington County asks that residents place trees at their curbs no later than 6 a.m. on regular trash collection day.

Christmas trees may also be brought to the Solid Waste Bureau's Earth Products Yard in Shirlington.

Loudoun County
Christmas tree recycling for Loudoun County runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 20 and is available at five locations in the county.

Prince William County