Recycle Your Holiday Tree
Your participation in the Merry Mulch program keeps thousands of trees out of the landfill. Live trees are taken to a compost facility where they are recycled into compost and mulch.
Holiday Tree Recycling Guidelines
County residents with curbside yard trim collection can place their tree out for pickup on their yard trim collection day. Trees that are placed out on trash collection day will not be collected during yard trim collection season. Before setting out your tree the night before your yard trim collection day, be sure to:
- Remove all tinsel, garland, ornaments, lights, tree stands, plastic bags, etc.
- Trees must be cut into less than 4 foot lengths and tied. Bundles must weigh less than 40 pounds.
When curbside yard trim collection is no longer available (after the 3rd Friday in January), trees can be placed out for trash collection and will be sent to a landfill (please only use this as a last option).
Drop-off sites are open during the Merry Mulch season (December 26 through the third Saturday in January). Live trees may be dropped off at:
- Kendall Hardware (12260 Rt. 108)
- Cedar Lane Park (5081 Cedar Lane)
- Rockburn Park (5400 Landing Road)
- Old Circuit Court upper parking Court House Drive (just past Ellicott Mills Drive, on the right)
- Schooley Mill Park (12975 Hall Shop Road)
- Alpha Ridge Landfill Wood Waste Area (2350 Marriottsville Road)
- Savage Park (8400 Fair Street)
- Western Regional Park (14800 Carrs Mill Road)
Trees are taken to the Wood Waste Area at Alpha Ridge Landfill to be recycled into compost and mulch. Once the Merry Mulch season has closed, live trees can only be dropped off at the Wood Waste Area, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 4pm. (No plastic bags.)
Holiday Lights Recycling
Donate first! If you have working holiday lights, consider donation them to a local organization listed in our Donation Directory. Holiday lights should NOT go in your curbside recycling. These “tanglers” get wrapped around recycling equipment and jam the screens at the processor. Please recycle your holiday lights correctly through these drop-off and mail-in programs.
Holiday Lights Drop-off Recycling
- Recycle your holiday lights with electronics at the Residents’ Convenience Center at Alpha Ridge Landfill (2350 Marriottsville Rd Marriottsville, MD 21104)
- Recycle your holiday lights during the annual holiday lights recycling drive at MOM’s (7351 Assateague Dr. #190 Jessup, MD 20794)
Holiday Lights Mail-in Recycling
- HolidayLED.com offers a mail-in recycling program and offers a coupon for new lights! Box up your lights and send them to: Holiday LEDs Recycling (W227N6225 Sussex Road, Door #12 Sussex, WI 53089)