The holiday season always ends with plenty of returns, and your Christmas tree is no exception. Return your natural Christmas tree to the ground it grew in by dropping it off, at no charge, at a Riverside County landfill to be recycled into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Natural Christmas trees must be stripped of all decorations, lights, tinsel and tree stands in order to be recycled. Flocked trees (that is, trees covered with artificial snow) cannot be recycled through this program and need to be cut up and placed in your regular trash bin.
Most trash haulers will collect Christmas trees curbside for two weeks after Christmas. Place the prepared tree next to or inside the green-waste container on your regular pick-up day. Trees over four feet tall should be cut in half. Contact your waste hauler for more details.
For those without a curbside pickup program, several drop-off locations will accept up to three properly prepared residential Christmas trees for FREE through Jan. 11:
- A. Lua Wood Recycling, 18938 Mermack Ave., Lake Elsinore (accepting until Jan. 3)
- Riverside County Badlands Landfill, 31125 Ironwood Ave., Moreno Valley (accepting until Jan. 4)
- Riverside County Blythe Landfill, 1000 Midland Road, Blythe (accepting until Jan. 4)
Riverside County Lamb Canyon Landfill, 16411 Lamb Canyon Road, Beaumont (accepting until Jan. 4) - Riverside County Oasis Landfill, 84-505 84th Avenue, Oasis (accepting until Jan. 8)
- El Sobrante Landfill, 10910 Dawson Canyon Road, Corona (accepting until Jan. 11)
- B. P. John Recycling, 28700 Matthews Road, Romoland (accepting until Jan. 11)
Burrtec customers only:
- Burrtec/Coachella Transfer Station, 87011 Landfill Road, #A, Coachella
- Burrtec/Edom Hill Transfer Station, 70100 Edom Hill Road, Cathedral City
- Burrtec/Robert A. Nelson Transfer Station, 1830 Agua Mansa Road, Riverside
All landfills are closed on December 25. Trees are made of organic material and can be recycled, saving valuable landfill space. Christmas tree recycling is offered to educate residents about the ease and advantages of organic material recycling. Reap your reward at Badlands Landfill and Beaumont Landfill immediately by picking up some free compost!
For more information on this program, please call the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources (951) 486-3200 or visit the waste guide on our website for additional green holiday suggestions: https://rcwaste.org/green-holiday-suggestions.