Residents are encouraged to recycle their Christmas trees this holiday season. Recycled trees can be processed into useful mulch. To prepare Christmas trees for recycling, residents must remove all decorations, including hooks, garland, tinsel and lights.
It is important to not place the trees in a bag or trash can, but rather leave them loose for pick-up. Residents who live in apartments and condominiums should consult with their property managers for disposal instructions.
The following cities offer Christmas tree recycling:
• Clearwater: Curbside collection with yard waste on regular day. For information, call (727) 562-4920.
• Dunedin: Curbside collection with yard waste on regular day until Friday, Jan. 12. Residents without curbside yard waste pickup can plan a pick-up day with their association property manager. For information, call (727) 298-3215, ext. 1328.
• Gulfport: Place tree at curb or alley for regularly scheduled Wednesday yard waste pick-up. Do not bag or place tree in can. For multiple-dwelling units, place your tree near the dumpster without blocking access to it. Trees will be chopped and processed into mulch, then made available to residents at the Gulfport Neighborhood Center, located at 1617 49th St. S. For more information, call (727) 893-1089.
• Indian Rocks Beach: Curbside collection with yard waste on Wednesdays. For information, call (727) 595-6889.
• Largo: Place trees at curb on your regularly-scheduled yard waste day. Do not place trees at the curb in bags or with decorations attached. For more information, call (727) 587-6760 or visit www.largorecycles.com.
• Madeira Beach: Curbside collection with yard waste on Wednesdays. For more information, call (727) 543-8154.
• Oldsmar: Drop off at 107 Shore Drive W. (R.E. Olds Park). Drop-off location will be available seven days a week, dawn until dusk, through Friday, Jan. 12. For more information, call (813) 749-1135.
• Pinellas Park: Drop off at the city’s brush site located at 12950 40th St. N., Mondays to Sundays, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or place curbside where it will be collected with regular garbage. For more information, call (727) 369-0690.
• Safety Harbor: Christmas trees are recycled with yard waste beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
• St. Petersburg: Drop off at the St. Petersburg brush sites:
– 1000 62nd Ave. N.E.
– 7750 26th Ave. N.
– 2500 26th Ave. S.
– 4015 Dr. MLK Jr. St. S.
– 2453 20th Ave. N.
Residents can also put their tree out for curbside collection by Friday, Jan. 5, for collection on Saturday, Jan 6. If your tree has not been picked up by Jan. 6, call (727) 893-7398. Residents are asked to place the tree no closer than 3 feet beside the garbage container in the usual collection location (curb or alley).
• Tarpon Springs: Drop off at Yard Waste facility located at 898 S. Levis Ave. for a fee or put out for curbside collection with yard waste on regular day. For more information, call (727) 943-4837.
• Treasure Island: Curbside collection with yard waste on Wednesday. For more information, call (727) 547-4575, ext. 253.
The following cities do not offer Christmas tree recycling: Belleair, Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair Shore, Indian Shores, Kenneth City, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Seminole, South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach. Trees will be picked up curbside. Although the tree will not be recycled, it will be collected and converted into energy at Pinellas County’s Waste-to-Energy Facility.
Residents of cities that do not offer tree recycling or residents living in unincorporated Pinellas County can recycle a tree by dropping it off at Pinellas County Solid Waste at 3095 114th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. The cost is $3 per load for a maximum of five trees. The cost for six or more trees is $37.50 per ton. The facility is open Monday to Friday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A flier about Christmas tree recycling is available at www.pinellascounty.org/solidwaste/getridofit/christmas_trees.pdf. For more information about recycling in Pinellas County, visit www.pinellascounty.org/recycle or call (727) 464-7500.