Kicking your live Christmas tree to the curb? Triangle disposal options for 2022

If you decorated for the holidays with a live Christmas tree this year, it will soon be time to start thinking about how you’ll dispose of the ol’ Tannenbaum.

First, a recommendation for what not to do: Don’t Move Firewood, a national campaign to protect trees and forests across North America from invasive insects and diseases that can travel in or on contaminated firewood, recommends not setting the tree out in your backyard or woods. The same goes for other natural holiday greenery, including wreaths or garland.

Taking your tree or other natural greenery to the woods could allow invasive pests, weed seeds and tree diseases to emerge as the weather warms up through the winter and into the spring — potentially contaminating your property and posing a risk to your backyard forest.

“It might seem like a harmless idea, but it really could result in a big negative impact,” Don’t Move Firewood says.

That makes properly disposing of your tree through yard waste management services, such as recycling programs and at solid waste facilities, the best option.

Towns, cities and counties throughout the Triangle offer drop-off and pick-up options to help residents dispose of their natural Christmas trees.

Here’s a guide to those services for 2022.

Note: In most cases, you’ll need to make sure your tree is undecorated before disposing of it, so take off any ornaments, lights and tinsel.

Wake County Christmas tree recycling program

Wake County’s Happy Trails Christmas Tree Recycling Program allows Wake County residents to recycle their natural Christmas trees into mulch trails at county parks.

You can drop off trees at the following Wake County solid waste convenience centers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 22:

▪ Site 1: 10505 Old Stage Rd. in Garner

▪ Site 2: 6120 Old Smithfield Rd. in Apex

▪ Site 4: 3600 Yates Mill Pond Rd. in Raleigh

▪ Site 11: 5051 Wendell Blvd. in Wendell

Tree drop-offs are also accepted at the following Wake County parks from 8 a.m. to sunset, seven days a week, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 22:

▪ Blue Jay Point: 3200 Pleasant Union Church Rd. in Raleigh

▪ Green Hills: 9300 Deponie Dr. in Raleigh

▪ Harris Lake: 2112 County Park Dr. in New Hill

▪ Lake Crabtree: 1400 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville

Note: All facilities will be closed on New Year’s Day, Sunday, Jan. 1.

Remember to remove all decorations from your tree before recycling it through the Happy Trails program.

Apex Christmas tree collection, drop off

The town of Apex allows residents to have their Christmas trees picked up as curbside yard waste.

To have your tree picked up, put it in your regular curbside yard waste pile, and place your yard waste at the curb the night before your regularly scheduled collection day.

Apex residents can also take their trees to a drop-off site at the Apex Convenience Center at 6120 Old Smithfield Rd.

Remember to remove all decorations from the tree, including any nails from the stand.

Cary Christmas tree collection, drop off

The town of Cary collects natural Christmas trees curbside at no charge when placed with your regular yard waste.

To have your tree collected, place it at your curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled yard waste collection day.

Cary residents can also drop off Christmas trees at the Citizen’s Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Ave. in Cary.

Remember to remove artificial decorations, including wire, tinsel, lights and ornaments from your tree before disposing of it.

Fuquay-Varina Christmas tree collection, drop off

Fuquay-Varina collects Christmas trees at no charge through curbside pickup and at a drop-off center.

Christmas trees will be collected curbside by the town from Dec. 26 through Jan. 12. “Trees will be removed as time warrants,” the town says, so leave your tree at the curb and it will be collected as soon as possible.

Fuquay-Varina residents can also drop off trees from Dec. 26 to Jan. 12 at the convenience center at Action Park, 609 Wake Chapel Rd.

Remember to remove any lights, tinsel, wire, ornaments from the tree, as well as the tree stand and any nails.

Holly Springs Christmas tree collection

Holly Springs residents can include their Christmas trees as yard waste, to be collected on their regular yard waste pickup day.

Remember to strip your tree of all decorations and other objects, including tinsel and nails, before leaving it at the curb for collection.

Knightdale Christmas tree pickup

The town of Knightdale will collect Christmas trees from the curb beginning Jan. 3 and continuing weekly until the Jan. 30 weekly collection route is complete.

The town will also collect Christmas trees from apartment and townhome complexes within town limits. To have your tree collected in those locations, place the tree near — but not inside — the trash dumpster area in the community.

All trees must be free of decorations, lights and other foreign matter to be picked up.

Morrisville Christmas tree collection

Waste Industries will collect Morrisville residents’ Christmas trees on normal yard waste collection days in the month of January.

Remember to remove decorations before putting your tree out for pickup.

Note: Christmas trees taller than 6 feet must be cut in half before they can be picked up.

Raleigh curbside Christmas tree collection

City of Raleigh yard waste crews will pick up live, bare trees on customers’ regularly scheduled yard waste collection day before Feb. 6. Place your undecorated tree on the ground near the curb, not inside recycling or yard waste carts.

City residents can also bring their real trees to the Raleigh Yard Waste Center, located at 900 N. New Hope Rd. in Raleigh, and drop them off for disposal.

Rolesville Christmas tree collection

Live Christmas trees are accepted by Rolesville’s yard waste contractor on scheduled yard waste pickup days.

The trees must be undecorated and meet the same size guidelines as brush (6 feet in length or less).

Place your tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled yard waste collection day.

Wake Forest Christmas tree recycling program

Christmas trees will be accepted as part of the town of Wake Forest’s regular yard waste collection service.

Collection will begin Jan. 3 and continue indefinitely, with no end date.

City of Durham Christmas tree disposal options

There are a few ways for Durham residents to dispose of their trees with the city, all beginning in January.

▪ Free curbside collection of live trees is available to city yard waste and exempt service customers between Jan. 2-Feb. 3. To have your tree collected, place it at the curb for your normal collection day. There is no need to request collection service. Tree collections do not count toward a free brush collection for yard waste customers.

Trees can also be dropped off at several locations in the city, including the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center and seven parks.

▪ Trees will be accepted at the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center (2115 E. Club Blvd.) from Jan. 2-Feb. 4. The center is open 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday.

▪ Trees will be accepted at the following Durham park locations every Saturday in January — Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 — from 7 a.m.-1 p.m.:

• C.M. Herndon Park, 511 Scott King Rd.

• Campus Hills (parking lot), 2000 S. Alston Ave.

• Bethesda Park, 1814 Stage Rd.

• Southern Boundaries Park, 3400 Third Fork Rd.

• Merrick-Moore Park, 632 N. Hoover Rd .

• Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Dr.

• Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Rd.

Note: All trees brought to drop-off locations and picked up curbside must be undecorated. If the tree is taller than 6 feet, it must be cut in half. Trees must not be inside bags.

Orange County Christmas tree drop off

Orange County residents can take up to 120 cubic feet, or about one standard pickup truck load, of yard waste, including Christmas trees, per day or weekend to one of the county’s Waste and Recycling Centers — except the Bradshaw Quarry location.

Remember to remove all decorations from your tree before dropping it off.

Note: Tree trunks must be 12 inches or less in diameter.

Chapel Hill Christmas tree pickup

Crews from the town of Chapel Hill will pick up live trees and wreaths as part of the town’s regular yard trimmings collection schedule.

Yard trimmings are collected on Thursday from single-family residences with a Monday trash collection schedule, and on Fridays from those with Tuesday trash collection. Residents of apartment complexes should place their trees in an area designated by property managers.

Remember to remove all decorations from your tree.

Hillsborough Christmas tree pickup

Christmas trees will be collected as part of the town of Hillsborough’s regular brush collection.

Remember to remove your tree from the stand and take off all decorations.

Johnston County Christmas tree drop off

Johnston County residents can take discarded, undecorated Christmas trees to the county landfill, located at 680 County Home Rd. in Smithfield.

Residents with a solid waste decal can drop off their trees at no cost. Residents without a solid waste decal may drop of their tree for a fee of $8.