'Tree-Cycle' Your Christmas Tree in North Hempstead

The New Year's celebration is over, so that means it's time to take down all your holiday decorations, including your Christmas tree. Luckily, the Town of North Hempstead has a "tree-cycling" program that helps residents recycle their live Christmas trees, unwanted electronics and old holiday lights this season.

To dispose of Christmas trees, residents can leave them curbside on normal yard waste pick-up days for the first two weeks of January.

“Christmas trees are biodegradable, and by recycling your tree they can be repurposed into mulch and reduces the space it would take up in a landfill,” Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a press release.

Trees should be removed of all decorations, lights, ornaments, tinsel, strands and any plastic bag or plastic wrapping. Place the plastic bag or plastic wrapping in your trash receptacle. Holiday gift wrap paper can be included along with other paper recyclables.

Residents can also recycle holiday lights and any unwanted electronics, prevalent especially this time of year with electronics a popular gift, leaving many with the dilemma of how to dispose of old items responsibly.

Unwanted electronics can be dropped off at North Hempstead’s residential drop-off site, located at 999 West Shore Road in Roslyn, on Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

E-waste can also be dropped-off during the week, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., excluding holidays, at North Hempstead’s Solid Waste Management Authority, located at 802 West Shore Road in Port Washington.

Cell phones are not considered accepted e-waste but are accepted by all wireless providers for recycling/reuse.

For more information on “Tree-Cycling”, please call 311 or visit www.northhempsteadny.gov.