When the time comes that you have to let your Christmas tree go, it’s easy and free to do, and even “pays it forward” — as Christmas trees are turned into mulch.
Dried out Christmas trees become increasingly flammable as days go by, so don’t hold onto it for too long.
Most towns and cities recycle Christmas trees for mulch, so recycling your tree is a way of “paying it forward.”
Read on for information on how to recycle Christmas trees in various towns and cities around the Triangle. There are options for curbside pickup and drop-off at recycling centers.
Also, read on to learn about some farms that would love to receive your Christmas tree as a donation to feed their goats or pigs.
Just because we don’t include information for your town, city or county doesn’t mean that they don’t recycle Christmas trees. Make sure to check on your town’s recycling information if it’s not listed here.
Also, in addition to all the options listed below, Steel String Brewery at Pluck Farm, 6901 NC-54, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is hosting bonfires every Saturday from 4 to 7:30 p.m., and on January 11, 18 and 25, 2025, you are welcome to bring your dried Christmas tree to help fuel the fire. You can also drop it off any time they’re open.
Recycling Christmas Trees
Most municipalities that offer curbside pickup of trash and yard waste will pick up your Christmas tree on your normal schedule. This only applies to real trees. Make sure to remove any decoration first.
Chapel Hill
Town crews from Town of Chapel Hill’s Solid Waste Services will pick up natural trees and wreaths for mulching on the regular yard waste collection schedule.
Remove all decorations, tinsel and wire before leaving trees and wreaths at the curbside along with other yard waste. Residents of apartment complexes should place trees in the area designated by property managers.
If you need to dispose of an artificial tree that is too large to be bagged and placed in your trash cart, please schedule a bulky item collection.
Christmas Lights can be recycled at the electronics trailers at any of Orange County’s Waste & Recycling Centers.
Carrboro
Post-holiday trees and wreaths will be collected as part of the regular yard waste collection schedule. Please remove all decorations from the tree or wreath, including tinsel and any nails from the stand. Trees and wreaths should be placed at the curbside with other yard waste. More info.
Cary
Remove artificial decorations, including wire, tinsel, lights, etc. Place the item at your curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled yard waste collection day. Alternatively, you can drop it off at Citizen’s Convenience Center, 313 N. Dixon Avenue, Cary. More info.
Durham
City of Durham will pick up your tree for free, if you’re a current yard waste customer, from January 2 to February 3, 2025. A tree collection will not count toward a free brush collection for yard waste customers. There is no need to make a service request. If the tree is taller than six feet it must be cut in half.
Waste Disposal and Recycling Center – 2115 E. Club Blvd.
Live trees will be accepted for free disposal at the City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling Center.
Date/Time:
Thursday, January 2, through Saturday, February 1, 2025
7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday
City Park Drop-Off Locations:
Live trees may also be dropped off at no charge at the following seven park locations. Solid Waste Management crews will be on site each of these Saturdays to assist.
Date/Time:
Saturday, January 4; Saturday, January 11; Saturday, January 18; and Saturday, January 25, 2025
7 a.m. to 12 p.m..
Locations:
- C.M. Herndon Park, 511 Scott King Rd.
- Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Rd.
- Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Dr.
- Southern Boundaries Park, 3400 Third Fork Rd.
- Bethesda Park, 1814 Stage Rd.
- Campus Hills (parking lot), 2000 S Alston Ave.
Raleigh
The City of Raleigh will pick up your tree on your regular trash pick-up day.
- Don’t put the tree in a container. Leave it right on the ground
- Be sure to remove all decorations and lights
- Don’t put Christmas lights in the recycling cart. Use them next year. When it’s time to dispose of them, put them in the garbage
- Only live trees can be recycled
Wake Forest
The Town of Wake Forest recycles Christmas trees. Check wakeforestnc.gov for the start date, when announced.
The Town of Wake Forest is encouraging residents to make recycling a holiday tradition by recycling their live Christmas trees. Town crews will collect and recycle live Christmas trees from residential homes during yard waste collection. The trees will be ground into mulch and made available for free to residents upon request.
All Wake Forest residents whose yard waste is collected by the Town may participate in the “Treecycling” program. To recycle your Christmas tree, remove all decorations, tinsel, nails, stands, and bags from the tree and set it behind the curb for collection. Residents are reminded that artificial trees cannot be recycled.
Fuquay-Varina
The Town collects Christmas trees at no charge through curbside pickup or a drop-off Convenience Center from December 26 through January 31.
Curbside Pick-up Option: Place the Christmas tree curbside with the lights, tinsel, wire, ornaments, and stand removed. Please also remove any nails. Trees will be removed as time warrants, so please leave your tree curbside and it will be collected as soon as possible.
Drop off Convenience Option: Trees may also be dropped at the convenience center located at Action Park, 609 Wake Chapel Road during the time frame stated above.
Apex
The Town of Apex is collecting real Christmas trees as part of regular yard waste collection services. Remove all decorations from trees, including any nails from the stand, and place at the curb for pickup on your scheduled day. More info.
Wake County
If your municipality doesn’t provide waste removal, or you’d like to drop off your tree, you can drop off your tree at several Wake County convenience centers and parks.
Drop off your undecorated tree at designated locations from Dec. 26, 2024, until Jan. 26, 2025. Note that all facilities will be closed for New Year’s Day on Monday, January 1.
Wake County Convenience Centers
Hours: 7 days a week, 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
- Site 1: 10505 Old Stage Road, Garner
- Site 2: 6120 Old Smithfield Road, Apex
- Site 4: 3600 Yates Mill Pond Road, Raleigh
- Site 11: 5051 Wendell Blvd., Wendell
Wake County Parks
Hours: 7 days a week, 8 a.m. until sunset
- Blue Jay Point County Park: 3200 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh
- Harris Lake County Park: 2112 County Park Drive, New Hill
- Lake Crabtree County Park: 1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville
- Green Hills County Park: 9300 Deponie Drive, Raleigh
You can also recycle your other holiday waste at the Wake County Convenience Centers:
- Aluminum, Glass, Paper, Plastic
- Corrugated Cardboard
- Chipboard (paper roll tubes, cereal boxes, etc.)
- Clothing & Shoes
- Holiday Cards
- Magazines & Catalogs
- SBS Board (shirt boxes, etc.)
- Scrap Metal
- Wrapping Paper (no foil)
- More
Disposing of Artificial Trees
Please don’t put your artificial tree on the curb to be picked up as yard waste. Consider keeping it for next year or donating it.
If it’s too big for your trash can, and you need to have it picked up by your curb, you might need to schedule bulky trash pickup or take it to a waste collection center. Consult your municipality’s website for solid waste removal.
You might be able to find venues that would love to take your artificial Christmas tree for their display next year.
A Note of Caution
What you put curbside might give potential burglars an idea of what new items are in your house, like televisions and game consoles. So, you might want to consider dropping those boxes off at drop-off centers instead.
Christmas Trees for Animals
Goats and pigs love eating Christmas tree. Follow your favorite farm on social media, or get in touch with them, to see if they are accepting donations of Christmas trees.
Goats R Us Cleaning would be happy to pick up your undecorated, natural Christmas trees! They are located in Zebulon, so if you’re in that area, consider that option! They are on Facebook: GoatsRUsCleaning.
We saw that Fuster Cluck Farm in Kenly welcomes Christmas tree donations. They announced this on Facebook.
Also, the website PumpkinsForPigs has a database of farms that accept food donations for their animals. They list what items they accept, and some are looking for Christmas trees and wreaths too. Please make sure to get in touch with any farm you find on that list, to make sure that the information is up to date.
Some farms in or near the Triangle that are listed as accepting Christmas trees are:
- Belle Vie Farm in Chapel Hill, NC
- Double Nut Farm, Bennett, NC
- Hillsite Farms, Mebane, NC
- Dread Pirate Farms, Bear Creek, NC
Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Triangle on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and it’s also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
