General tips for most haulers:
- Remove all ornaments, tinsel, lights, and other NON-Organic decorative materials. This includes tree stands also.
- Trees are often required to be cut into 4 ft lengths; so you may need to cut your tree in half. In some locales, the trees must be cut small enough to fit inside your green (yard waste) container.
- In most Bay area locations flocked trees may not be recycled; they must go into the trash. Flocked trees often have special requirements, due to the chemical content. Some will need to be chopped-up and disposed with regular solid waste, other recyclers have special drop off locations where they can handle them safely.
- Trees are usually collected curbside for two weeks after Christmas.
FREE Drop-off locations are also commonly available
If you miss the collection period, you can cut-up the tree and place it in your green (yard waste) container for pick-up on the regularly scheduled service day; assuming your area has a yard waste collection program to which you subscribe.
San Francisco:
San Francisco residents can start recycling their Christmas trees beginning the first week of January. Trees will be picked up curbside from Jan. 3 through Jan. 7 and again the following week, from Jan 10 through Jan. 14.
The trees should be removed of all decorations and placed next to the trash cart before 6 a.m. on the regularly scheduled pickup day.
From there, the trees will be taken to recycling center Recology San Francisco, where they will be chipped. The wood chips will then be sent to Tracy, where they will serve as biomass in a waste-to-energy facility.
Residents can also drop off their trees at Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Council, located at 780 Frederick St. until Jan. 17, or at Recology Golden Gate, at 900 7th St., or at Recology San Francisco at 501 Tunnel Ave., until Jan. 15.
A tree chipping celebration will kick of post-holiday "treecycling" services at 11 a.m. Monday at Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall.
For more information, call Recology Sunset Scavenger at (415) 330-1300 or Recology Gate at (415) 626-4000.
East Bay:
If you're a Waste Management customer with curbside service, you can recycle your Christmas trees by placing the trees at the curb or in their greenwaste carts on your scheduled pick-up day -- trees greater than six feet tall must be cut in half. Trees will be picked up for recycling during the two weeks following Christmas.
Allied Waste:
Flocked trees cannot be recycled. They can be collected curbside for a fee of $10 per tree. Pickups must be scheduled in advance. Call (925) 685-4711.
Antioch:
Yard Waste Cart -- Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must be closed.
Drop-off Locations -- You can drop off trees 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2 and Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 8-9, at the Prewett Family Water Park
parking lot and at the Antioch Marina. Overflow Parking Lot at 2nd and L streets.
Boy Scout Treecycling -- Scouts will pick up holiday trees Sat.-Sun., Jan. 1-2 & Jan. 8-9. Have unflocked trees ready for pickup before 8 a.m. Donations of $8 or $1 per foot for large trees, payable to BSA, would be appreciated. For information call (925) 238-8900 or visit www.bdscouts.org/treepickup.
Flocked trees can be picked up for a fee or included with one of your two, free, large-item pickups.
Questions? Call customer service at (925) 685-4711.
Bay Point/Clyde:
Boy Scout Treecycling -- See Antioch information above. Bay Point schedule and contacts are same.
Yard Waste Cart -- Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must be closed.
Curbside Collection -- Unflocked holiday trees will be picked up curbside Thursday, Jan. 6.
Questions? Call customer service at (925) 685-4711.
Benicia:
Yard Waste Cart -- Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must be closed.
Boy Scout Treecycling -- Drop-off sites are Benicia Community Park (near Matthew Turner School) and First Baptist Church, 1055 Southampton Road, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 26, Jan. 1, 2, 8 and 9. Scouts will also pick up trees by appointment Jan. 1, 2, 8 and 9. Call (707) 551-4520 or log on to www.beniciascouts.org. Donations of $7 would be appreciated.
Questions? Call customer service at (707) 747-0608.
Clayton, Unincorporated Concord, Morgan Territory:
Sunday, Jan. 9: Boy Scouts will pick up trees in Clayton only. Leave unflocked trees at curb by 8 a.m. Donations would be appreciated. Mail checks (do not attach to tree) to BSA Troop 484, c/o 709 Tally Ho Court, Clayton, 94517. Contact: Ken Frey at (925) 323-1524.
January 10-14: Unflocked trees will be picked up curbside on your regular garbage day that week.
Any yard waste week: Place unflocked trees in yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Keep lid closed.
CCCSWA -- Alamo/Blackhawk/Danville/Diablo/Walnut Creek/Pleasanton/Unincorporated areas:
Curbside Collection -- Unflocked holiday trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 3-7.
CCCSWA -- Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda/Unincorporated areas: Curbside Collection -- Unflocked holiday trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 10-14.
Drop-off Option -- See "Drop-off Locations" on the back side of this notice for address and hours.
Questions? Call customer service at (925) 603-1144.
Martinez, Alhambra Valley, Mt. View
Yard Waste Cart -- Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must be closed.
Curbside Collection -- Unflocked holiday trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 10-14.
Drop-off Option -- See "Drop-off Locations" on the back side of this notice for address and hours.
Questions? Call customer service at (925) 685-4711.
Pleasant Hill, Unincorporated Pleasant Hill, Pacheco:
Yard Waste Cart -- Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must be closed.
Curbside Collection -- Unflocked holiday trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 10-14.
Questions? Call customer service at (925) 685-4711.
Peninsula:
Flocked trees cannot be made into compost due to their chemical content. However, Allied Waste of San Carlos, and Ox Mountain Landfill will accept flocked trees for other use.
If you choose to use tinsel, make sure that all of it is removed before recycling your tree.
Do not bag your tree. If you do, it will not be recycled.
Curbside Service:
Allied Waste:
Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Emerald Lake Hills, Foster City, Hillsborough, Ladera, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, North Fair Oaks, West Bay Sanitary District:
12/27-12/31 on your regular recycling day.
Half Moon Bay
Anytime after December 26 on your regular recycling day.
Daly City, Broadmoor, unincorporated Colma
Picked up on your regularly scheduled service day from December 25 - January 15. Place trees next to yard waste cart.
Recology San Mateo County:
Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, North Fair Oaks, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, Unincorporated San Mateo County, West Bay Sanitary District
January 1st through January 31st on your regular service day.
Recology of the Coast
Pacifica, Montara, Moss Beach, Princeton, El Granada, Miramar
Trees will be picked up between December 26-January 31 on your regular service day. Trees are no longer accepted at the Recycling Yard.
Pacifica Residents Only - If you are unable to place tree curbside during this period, cut up your tree and place into your green Organics cart. Make sure the lid closes completely for service.
GreenWaste Recovery, Inc.:
Los Trancos Woods, Portola Valley, Vista Verde and Woodside.
December 26 through January 28. Cut tree to 4-foot lengths and place sections curbside.
Recology San Bruno:
San Bruno
Trees will be picked up between December 27th - January 21st on your regular yard waste collection day.
North Bay:
Recycled trees will be ground and used for mulch and compost. REMOVE ornaments, nails, tinsel, stands, and metal spikes to protect sanitation employees and prevent damage to grinding equipment.
Flocked and Tinseled trees CANNOT be recycled and will be landfilled. Cut to fit inside regular garbage can or see below for special pick-ups.
Benicia
Place unflocked trees in your yard waste cart. Branches must be 6 inches or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in length. Cut off tree tops. Lid must close.
Drop-Off Sites
Dec. 26 and Jan. 1, 2, 8 & 9 from 9am-4pm:
Benicia Community Park near Matthew Turner School or
First Baptist Church on Southampton Road.
Mon.-Fri. from 8am-4pm: 444 S. Buchanan Circle, Pacheo. No Charge.
Dixon
Jan. 2 and 8 between 9 am and 3 pm
Call Boy Scout Troop #152 to schedule pick-up, (707) 678-9693.
Donation: $10/tree, $15/flocked tree
Curbside Collection
Dec. 27 - Jan. 3: Cut trees in half and place next to yard waste toter. Trees sent for recycling must be free of tinsel, flocking, ornaments, and the tree stand. Trees with these materials should be cut up and placed in your gray trash toters.
Fairfield, Suisun, Travis AFB
Special Collection
Jan. 8 and 15: Call the Boy Scouts to schedule pick-up (707) 421-5308.
Donation: $5/tree 6' and under $10/tree over 6', $10/tree flocked and tinseled
Curbside Collection
Cut trees up to fit inside the green waste toter. Lid must be closed.
Rio Vista
Drop-Off Sites
Dec. 26 - Jan. 16 from 6am - 9pm:
DeFlores Park behind DH White School
Rio Vista City Hall One Mail Street.
Cut Xmas trees down to 3 ft long and place by garbage toter
Vacaville:
Special Collection
To locate a Boy Scout troop in your area for curbside pick-up, call (707) 454-5705 or vacavillerecycling.com. Donations: $10-$15
Curbside Collection
Dec. 27 - Jan. 7:
Trees over 5-feet: cut in to 3-foot sections and place next to green yard waste toter. If placed in green toter, lid must close.
Vallejo :
Special Collection
Nonprofit groups will be available Jan. 8 and 15 only; to locate a nonprofit group in your area for pick-up, See add in Vallejo Times-Herald or call City of Vallejo, 707 648-5346. Donation: $5/tree (flocked trees accepted-but will be landfilled).
Curbside Collection
Cut trees to fit inside your yard waste toter. Whole trees will NOT be picked up. No Flocked Trees.
Vallejo city residents contact Recology Vallejo -- 707 552-3110.
Vallejo Unincorporated residents contact Recology Vacaville Solano -- 707 557-7773
Free Drop-Off Site
Dec. 27 - Jan. 17, Mon. - Sat. from 9am-1 pm, 2 pm-4 pm
VALCORE, 38 Sheridan Street, (707) 645-8258.
CLOSED Sundays and Jan. 1
No Flocked Trees
Sonoma County:
Cut the tree to fit in yard waste container. Put your tree in your yard waste container and place at the curb on your regular yard waste collection day. The tree MUST be CUT TO FIT inside the container. Trees sticking out of the container can interfere with the lifting arm on the truck. Thank you for your help. Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor and unincorporated Sonoma County have whole tree collection. Place your unflocked tree besides your yard waste container on your regular collection day the dates of:
- Healdsburg January 3, 2011 -- January 17, 2011
- Petaluma December 27, 2010 -- December 31, 2010
- Rohnert Park January 3, 2011 -- January 14, 2011
- Santa Rosa December 27, 2010 -- January 7, 2011
- Windsor December 27, 2010 -- December 31, 2010
- Unincorporated Please visit www.unicycler.com
Please note that Saturday, January 1, 2011 is a holiday so service will be delayed by one day for Saturday customers.
Call (707) 565-3333 for an appointment to have a non-profit in your area pickup your tree.
The pickup dates are December 26, 2010, January 1-2, 2011 and January 8-9, 2011. Call before Friday, January 7, 2011. for an appointment. There is a suggested $5 donation for this service.
Free drop-off locations throughout the county. You may take up to two trees to any of the drop-off locations at no charge.
Napa County: The 36th annual Napa Valley District Boy Scouts Annual Christmas Tree Pickup and Recycling Day comes to Napa on Saturday, January 8th, 2011.
Please have your tree on the curb by 9:00am on Saturday morning. Please DO NOT set out your tree earlier in the week, since tree collection will not take place until Saturday.
Trees must be free of ornaments, nails, tinsel, stands, and metal spikes. All are contaminants or safety hazards.
A voluntary donation of $5 per tree is suggested and appreciated. Please do not leave money on the tree! Boy Scouts will come to your door. Please leave a check made out to "Napa Valley District Boy Scouts" in an envelope at your door.
Please note: Customers in Napa County who miss the January Boy Scout tree pickup may place their tree out for collection on their normal service day beginning the following Monday. Please follow the above tree preparation guidelines and cut trees over 8' in half. Flocked trees are accepted. Wreaths, pumpkins, and other holiday greenery go in the yardwaste cart. South Bay:
San Jose:
Recycle your holiday tree from December 27, 2010 -- January 31, 2011.
Natural and flocked holiday trees will be collected for recycling on the same day as your garbage, recycling and yard trimmings. You don't need to attach an "Extra Garbage" sticker, but you do need to remove tinsel, decorations and the tree stand. Trees should then be cut into five-foot lengths and placed in the street 1 foot from the curb and 5 feet from your garbage and recycling carts and parked vehicles.
If you live in an apartment, townhouse or condo, ask your property manager if special arrangements have been made for recycling holiday trees on-site.
WVCC Customers:
Beginning December 27th 2010 and continuing through January 17th 2011, WVC&R will collect up to two Holiday trees per residence as part of your regular collection. Undecorated natural or flocked holiday trees are acceptable. Please remove stands, tinsel and decorations. All trees must be cut into 5-foot or preferably shorter lengths. Place the tree at least one foot away from WVC&R carts.
Apartment residents should contact your Property Manager for collection details.
