Give Your Christmas Tree a Second Life

After brightening your living room this Christmas, you might think your tree deserves better than the landfill.

You're in luck, and so is your tree, because both the City of College Park and Prince George's County are offering recycling services. For either, be sure to remove all decorations from your trees.

The city's Department of Public Works will pick up trees on regular collection days during the weeks of Jan. 9 and Jan. 16. Trees should be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. Residents may also call Public Works at 240-487-3590 to arrange for a special pickup on Thursday and Friday.

Beginning today, the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources’ (DER) Waste Management Division (WMD) will also provide collection and drop-off services for recycling of their live Christmas trees, at no charge.

Every tree collected will be shredded and cured into mulch for DER’s annual spring Mulch Giveaway event. Last year, more than 26 tons of Christmas trees were collected.

To participate, residents with county-provided yard waste collection service should place their undecorated Christmas trees at curbside before 6:30 a.m. on their regularly scheduled collection day starting today.

Residents may also bring their undecorated trees, at no charge, to the Prince George’s County Yard Waste Composting Facility, 6601 Southeast Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; or to the Brown Station Road Public Convenience Center, 3501 Brown Station Road, Upper Marlboro, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Jan. 31.

Call the county's WMD’s Recycling Section at 301-883-5045 with questions.