Holiday Safety: Proper Tree Disposal

The Philadelphia Streets Department provides both trash and recycling options for your tree following the holidays. The Residential Christmas Tree Recycling Program will run from Monday, January 7 through Saturday, January 19, 2013. The 25-year old program was developed by the Streets Department’s Sanitation Division to provide citizens with an environmentally safe alternative for the disposal of used trees.

Citizens who wish to drop off their trees to be recycled during the two-week program may do so 8:00 am to 6:00 pm from Monday through Saturday at the Streets Department Sanitation Convenience Centers, located at: 

• 3033 S. 63rd Street
• Domino Lane & Umbria Streets 
• State Road & Ashburner Street during the two-week program.  

Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson urges citizens to follow these tips for a successful recycling program:

• Trees brought to the site to be recycled should be free of all decorations and untied. Christmas trees with decorations cannot be recycled and will be placed with rubbish.
• Trees should not be brought to the site in plastic bags.

Christmas trees present a seasonal addition to the City’s waste stream. By recycling them and returning them to the earth, we help to reduce the number of discarded trees that end up in landfills.

There will be no curbside collection of trees for recycling purposes. Trees left at the curb will be considered as trash and will be picked up on regularly scheduled trash days. As always, the program is for citizens who receive City collected trash and recycling services. Vendors are responsible for making arrangements for the private disposal of their discarded trees.

For additional information regarding the Christmas Tree Recycling Program, or any other Streets Department service, please contact the Customer Affairs Unit at (215) 686-5560, or visit www.philadelphiastreets.com. For all city services, call 3-1-1.