Recycling & Waste

Evergreen (holiday/Christmas) trees

Legal Considerations

While holiday/Christmas trees can legally be placed in the trash, residents are encouraged to bring them to a yard waste collection site to be turned into mulch and later used as fuel to generate electricity.

Recycle

Bring holiday/Christmas trees to the following yard waste collection sites for free:

Remove lights, ornaments, tinsel and tree bags before disposal. Flocked trees are NOT accepted and should be placed in the trash.

You can also contact your trash hauler to pick up your tree. Contact your hauler to verify items accepted, collection days and potential fees.

Special instructions

Dispose of holiday/Christmas trees in a timely manner to limit the spread of potential invasive pests, like elongate hemlock scale (EHS) and Lymantria dispar (formerly known as gypsy moth).

  • Do not leave your tree out in your yard or backyard compost pile all winter. This increases the risk of the tree either getting or spreading an invasive pest.
  • Do not burn holiday/Christmas trees or greenery.
  • Holiday/Christmas trees and greenery grown in Minnesota have not been found infested with EHS. However, EHS and Lymantria dispar have been found on trees imported to Minnesota.

Best management practices for holiday greenery (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)

 

See holiday greenery for disposal instructions for wreaths and garland.