The gifts are bought, decorations are hung, and every member of the family has gathered to celebrate the Christmas season. But even as you delight in these cherishable moments, there is this one nagging question in the back of your mind, “What should I do with this tree after Christmas?”
Well, if you live in Austin, there are a couple ways you can get rid of your Christmas tree in an easy and environmental-friendly manner. This Austin Christmas tree recycling guide tells you how.
Austin Christmas Tree Recycling Guidelines
Instead of just throwing your beautiful Christmas tree away, why not recycle it and give it another life! The Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with Austin Resource Recovery now collects your Christmas tree and turns it into beneficial mulch, which is later distributed to the Austin community for free. Just make sure to adhere to following:
- Remove all ornaments, lights, stands, and any other decorations
- Cut trees that are above six feet in half
- Do not place your tree in a bag
- Trees with artificial snow will not be accepted
Can I Put My Christmas Tree On The Curb?
Yes, you can put your Christmas tree on the curb. If your trash and recycling is picked up by the city, that is, if you are curbside customer, dragging the tree out with the rest of your trash will be the easiest way to dispose of the tree. Again, make sure to get rid of the tree bags; the Austin Christmas tree disposal and recycling company won’t accept these.
Your tree should be on the curb by 6.30 am. If you have had tree trimming done recently in your yard and not disposed of the trimmings, you can put these too on the curb. Austin Resource Recovery will collect all natural trees including your trimmings on regularly scheduled pick up days.
Zilker Metropolitan Park Pick-up Point
Austin residents who are not curbside customers may want to know, “How do I dispose of my Christmas tree in Austin?”
As stated, to dispose of your Christmas tree in Austin, the easiest way would be to put it on the curb. If you don’t have curbside pickup, however, of are not willing to wait for your scheduled day, you can drop your tree off at Zilker Park. Pick up dates at Zilker Metropolitan Park are as follows:
- Saturday, 28th December
- Sunday, 29th December
- Saturday, 4th January
- Sunday, 5th January
Trees should be dropped anywhere between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. And just like the curbside pick-up, trees collected from Zilker Park are converted into mulch, so make sure yours is natural, free of all lights and decorations, and without a bag. The mulch will be distributed for free starting 16th January, 9.00 am. Austin residents should bring their own loading tools and storage/transportation containers.
Alternative Pick-up Points
Can’t make it to Zilker Park for your Austin Christmas tree recycling? Don’t worry, the following are great pick-up alternatives. You can drop off your tree for free here. However, people whose trees still got decorations, tags, or plastic remaining will be charged a contamination fee.
Del Valle Softball Complex (Behind the Southwest Rural Center) 3614 FM 973, Del Valle
Travis County East Service Center 6011 Blue Bluff Rd., Austin
Travis County Transfer Station 2625 Woodall Dr., Leander
Travis County West Service Center 4501 FM 620, Austin
Organics By Gosh 13602 FM 969, Austin
Walker Aero Environmental (JV Dirt) 3600 FM 973 North Austin
Whittlesey Landscape Supplies
- 3219 S IH 35, Round Rock
- 629 Dalton Ln., Austin
Texas Disposal Systems
- TDS Landfill Creedmoor: 3016 FM 1327, Creedmoor
- TDS & Garden-Ville Bee Cave: 4001 RR 620 South, Bee Cave
Some drop-offs will charge you a fee for your Austin Christmas tree disposal. Mostly, these are privately owned companies and the fee can vary from one company to the other. Contact them for more information.
Austin Tree Surgeons 150 Pemberton Way, Austin 512-301-4400 Pickup and disposal price starts at $25
Kinser Ranch LLC. 10701 Kinser Lane, Austin 512-477-9025 Charges $20 per load
Austin Wood Recycling 3875 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park 512-259-7430 Charges $5 per tree
Good Guys Tree Service 10713 RR 620 North, Austin 512-743-3909 Prices vary
Sid Mourning Tree Service 3810 Medical Parkway Austin 512-420-0733 Prices vary
Tree Service Removal Overview
Disposing off Christmas trees can be incredible cumbersome, but with Austin having guidelines in place to take care of this sort of thing, getting rid of these trees has become less troublesome for the area’s residents. If you are a curbside customer, the process will be as easy as just dragging your tree to the curb. Otherwise, the city has several pickup points where you can drop off your tree for recycling.
