How to Dispose of Your Christmas Tree in Montgomery Co.

If you don’t want to wait out the full 12 days of Christmas and are ready to dispose of your tree, Montgomery County can help.

There are different policies for disposing of live trees vs artificial trees, as well as wreaths and other decorations.

Here’s a quick rundown. Find full details on the county website.

Disposing of Live Trees

Christmas trees can be disposed of year-round in the county’s curbside yard trim collection, open only to residents who live in single-family homes or townhomes. Set your Christmas tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your recycling collection day.

Remove the stand and all decorations, including lights, ornaments, tinsel, and garland. Be sure there is no metal attached to the tree.

Remove any plastic bags from your tree. It will then be ground into compost or mulch.

Residents of apartments and condominiums: Check with your property manager or representative for specific recycling instructions.

Property managers of apartments and condominiums: If your residents are permitted to have live Christmas trees in their units, make arrangements in advance for special collections.

Disposing of Artificial Trees

If you have Montgomery County-provided trash service, request a bulk trash pickup for your artificial tree.

If you have privately-provided trash service, check with your collection company for instructions.

Or, if your artificial Christmas tree is still in usable condition, consider offering it for reuse on your neighborhood email list, Craigslist, your local Freecycle group, or similar places.

Wreaths and Roping

These decorative items are often held together with wire. If you can separate the greens from their wire, bag or bundle them as yard trim, and set them out for collection on your recycling day. Otherwise, dispose of your wreaths and roping as trash.