Ready to toss your Christmas Tree? Here’s how to recycle it in LA and OC

If you celebrated Christmas this year, there’s a good chance you still have a live tree sitting at home.

It’s OK to drag your feet on taking down the decorations — but there are deadlines coming up if you want to get rid of your Christmas tree the responsible way.

Most cities and counties offer some form of free curbside pickup or drop-off, but it’s only for a limited time. Here’s your rundown of how it works.

L.A. County

There are a couple of things to keep in mind regardless of where you are. Don’t bag or wrap trees prior to recycling. Remove all decorations and stands. If you place it curbside, put it next to your bins (not in front), and if it goes inside a bin, make sure the lid closes completely.

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

Some rules can vary, though, so you should check with your waste hauler for certain details. You may be required to cut your tree if it’s above 6 feet, or dispose of it differently if it’s a flocked tree (coated with fake snow). For example, the city of Los Angeles says to put that in the black bin, while Long Beach can recycle it (more info on that below).

City of L.A. residents have three options for tree disposal: curbside collection, mulching and drop-off.

Curbside collection works for residents in houses and apartments through Jan 31. To use it, follow these steps:

• Cut your tree into pieces and place them inside your green compost bin.
• If your tree is too big (or you can’t cut it), place it on the curb next to your green bin on trash day. 
• If it’s larger than 6 feet tall, schedule a bulky item pickup through MyLA311.
• If you’re in an apartment or condo, just place your tree on the curb on your neighborhood’s trash day.

Mulching service is also available at the following locations:

• Open through Jan. 15: Harbor Safe Center at 1400 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro
• Open Jan. 2 to Jan. 31: Lopez Canyon Environmental Education Center at 11950 Lopez Canyon Rd., Lake View Terrace (Place trees in the the rolloff bin by the entrance.)

Drop-off sites will also be available for at least the first couple weeks of January, depending on where you go. Long Beach is also encouraging drop-off, so here’s a map of sites for both areas:

If you can’t drop it off in Long Beach, the city will have a special collection for trees on Jan. 10. For deadlines in other cities and unincorporated communities, see this list from CleanLA.

Orange County

Orange County is serviced by multiple waste haulers, which handle Christmas tree recycling. They have different timeframes and requirements based on your city. You can see a list of each provider here. We’ve included some examples below.

For Anaheim residents: Republic Services is picking up trees through Jan. 16 on trash day — just put it next to your bins. You can also recycle it by cutting it into small pieces and putting them in your brown or compost bin. After Jan. 16, you can have it picked up through Republic Services’ bulky item pickup.

For Irvine residents: Waste Management is also picking up trees through Jan. 16 that are left curbside on trash day. After this date, you can cut the tree into pieces and put it in your green bin, or schedule a bulky item pickup.

For Santa Ana residents: Republic Services is picking up trees through Jan. 13. A different truck does this work, so it’s important to put yours on the curb no earlier than noon on the day before your trash collection. After this date, you can cut the tree into pieces and put it in your green bin.

For Huntington Beach residents: Republic Services will pick up trees curbside from Jan. 5 to Jan. 9, as long as it’s outside by 7 a.m. Flocked trees go inside your trash bin or can be picked up with a bulky item request. This trash service also has a few drop-off locations available through Jan. 10.