Post-Holiday Options for Your Christmas Tree

As you begin to pack up your holiday decorations, you may be wondering what to do with your live Christmas tree after the holiday.

Several free options are available to Hillsborough County Solid Waste customers including: free curbside pickup, free disposal at County yard waste facility, or recycling and reusing the tree as beneficial mulch in their landscapes.


Pickup at the Curb
Curbside pickup of live Christmas trees is available to County solid waste customers by following these steps:

  • Remove all decorations, lights and tinsel
  • Cut the tree into sections no larger than 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter, and
  • Place curbside on your regular yard waste collection day (Thursday).

Drop it Off
Hillsborough County solid waste customers can skip the hassle and work of cutting their live Christmas trees into smaller pieces for curbside pickup by taking trees directly to a Yard Waste Processing Facility.

The sites are open Monday through Saturday (with the exception of holidays, such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.:

  • Falkenburg Road/Resource Recovery Facility: 350 Falkenburg Road in Brandon, Phone: 813-744-5599
  • South County: 13001 U.S. Highway 41in Gibsonton, Phone: 813-671-7611
  • Northwest: 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa, Phone: 813-264-3816

Customers need to have their current tax bill and proper identification to access the Yard Waste Processing Facilities, and they must be able to unload the trees themselves. Customers should also remove all decorations, lights and tinsel. Artificial trees are not accepted at the yard waste sites.

Non-county residential solid waste customers can dispose of Christmas trees and other yard waste at a Hillsborough County Yard Waste Processing Facility by paying a tonnage fee.

Recycle and Reuse
Another idea is to chop or grind live Christmas trees and use as mulch around trees, shrubs and flower beds. For more ideas and information regarding recycling live Christmas trees, contact:
Lynn Barber, Hillsborough County Extension, BarberL@HillsboroughCounty.org, 813-744-5519 ext. 54105.

For more information about Hillsborough County solid waste collection and disposal services, visit www.HillsboroughCounty.org/SolidWaste, or call 813-272-5680.