Christmas has come and gone and while it's fun to keep the tree up for a little while after the holiday, at some point, it has to go. But where should you take it?
As you prepare to recycle your tree, remember to remove all decorations — lights, ornaments, tinsel — before you set it out on your driveway or take it to a recycling site. In many locations, wreaths and other yard waste, as well as wrapping paper, are not accepted. Call your nearest location to learn about their rules for recycling these materials.
READ MORE: Denver will not recycle holiday wrapping paper
Denver
Starting on Jan. 6, residents can recycle their natural tree through the city's Treecycle program, which lasts two weeks (until Jan. 17). Just put your tree out for recycling on your scheduled trash collection day. The city uses the trees to make mulch, which is free and available to residents at the Mulch Giveaway and Compost Sale in May. The trees can also be dropped off at one of the two Treecycle drop-off sites, which are open until Jan. 31. They are:
- Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off, 7354 E. Cherry Creek Drive South, Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Havana Nursery, 10450 Smith Road, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed on weekends)
Click here for more details.
Lakewood
Lakewood residents can recycle their lives Christmas trees anytime between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m until Jan. 12 at Lakewood's Greenhouse, located at 9556 W. Yale Avenue. Mulch is available upon request.
Douglas County
There are multiple locations where you can drop off your tree beginning Dec. 26. County-operated sites include:
- Bayou Gulch, 4815 Fox Sparrow Road, Parker
- Challenger Regional Park, 17299 E. Lincoln Ave., Parker
- Fairgrounds Regional Park, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock
- Highland Heritage Regional Park, 9651 S. Quebec St., Highlands Ranch
You can drop your tree off at any of these locations until Jan. 31. Mulch is available at the sites while supplies last.
For more information, call Douglas County Parks and Trails at 720-733-6990 or click here. Click here for more locations where you can recycle a Christmas tree in Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch and Parker.
Golden
Drop your trees off at the former Golden Recycle site anytime between Dec. 26 through Jan. 26. The site is just west of Highway 93 and north of Golden Gate Canyon Road. Leave your trees at the south end of the site by the sign for tree recycling. The trees will be turned into mulch, which will be available for free at a public pickup site on 11th Street, just west of Clear Creek History Park. For more information, contact the City of Golden Forestry office at 303-384-8141.
Englewood
The city of Englewood will run its annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program starting Dec. 26 through the end of January. The trees can be dropped at any of the below locations:
- Bates Logan Park parking lot: 2938 S. Logan St.
- Belleview Park parking lot: 5001 S. Inca Dr.
- Centennial Park parking lot: 4630 S. Decatur S.
The trees will be recycled into mulch, which will be available for free to the public at the Englewood Service Center at 2800 S. Platte River Dr. For more information, call 303-762-2684.
Brighton
Brighton residents are welcome to recycle their trees from Dec. 26 through Jan. 12 to be turned into mulch, which will then be available starting Jan. 15. Contact the Park Department at 303-655-2054 with any questions.
Aurora
Aurora has three Christmas tree drop-off sites in the city, including:
- Del Mar Park, 12000 E. Sixth Ave. (at Peoria Street in the west parking lot)
- Saddle Rock Golf Course, 21705 E. Arapahoe Road
- Olympic Park, 15501 E. Yale Ave.
Free mulch is available at all three locations. Bring your own truck, bags, shovel and containers. For more information, call 303-739-7177.
Larimer County
Bring your tree to the Larimer County Landfill anytime between Dec. 26 and Jan. 20. One tree per resident. Anybody who brings trees that are still decorated will be charged and the tree will go into the landfill. When you arrive at the facility, bypass the scale houses using the "No Trash" lane and head directly to the area labeled "Green Waste."
You can also recycle your holiday lights at scrap metal recycling facilities, which includes local hardware stores. For more details, click here.
Fort Collins
Live trees can be recycled at specific drop-off locations in Fort Collins, including:
- Timerline Recycling Center, 1903 S. Timberline Road
- Hageman Earth Cycle, Inc., 3501 E. Prospect Ave.
- Larimer County Green Waste Program, 5887 S. Taft Hill Road
For more information, call 970-221-6600 or click here.
Commerce City
Commerce City boasts seven places where you can recycle your Christmas tree for free. All locations are open from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6. Wreaths, tree limbs, synthetic trees, bushes and shrubs are not accepted for recycling. The parks and recreation department mulches the trees and uses the material along its city greenways and trails. Last year, about 450 trees were recycled. These are the drop-off locations:
- Fairfax Park, 6850 Fairfax Dr., north parking lot along E. 69th Ave.
- River Run Park, 11515 Oswego St., small parking lot
- Bison Ridge Recreation Center, 13905 E. 112th Ave.
- Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 Parkway Dr., west side parking lot
- Municipal Services Center, 8602 Rosemary St., entrance south of the soccer fields
- Buffalo Run Golf Course, 15700 E. 112th Ave., near the maintenance building
- Fronterra Park, 10020 Joplin St., parking lot along E. 101st Way
For more information, call the parks operations hotline at 303-289-8196.
El Paso County
El Paso County, Colorado Springs Utilities, Rocky Top Resources, Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Springs Youth Sports will host a TreeCycle event on Dec. 28, 29 and Jan. 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at multiple locations:
- Baptist Road Trailhead, Baptist Road and & Old Denver Highway
- Falcon Trailhead, southwest of Woodmen Road and McLaughlin Road
- Cottonwood Creek Park, Dublin Boulevard and Montarbor Road
- Sky Sox Stadium, Barnes Road and Tutt Boulevard
- Rock Ledge Ranch, Gateway Road and 30th Street
- Memorial Park, Pikes Peak Avenue and Union Boulevard
You can also recycle your tree at Rocky Top Resource, located at 1755 E. Las Vegas St., from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays anytime Jan. 2-31. Click here for more information.
Silverthorne
Holiday tree disposal starts on Dec. 26 at the parking lot across from Trent Park, by the entrance of the Willowbrook neighborhood.
Steamboat Springs
Let your Christmas tree live on as mulch for city park visitors. The city has offered free Christmas tree recycling to its residents for decades. The service begins Dec 26 and lasts through the end of February. You can drop the tree off at the northwest corner of the Howelsen Ice Complex parking lot. Drop-off is available every day from sunrise to sunset. Wreaths are not accepted. In addition to city parks, the mulch will be provided to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for more information.
This story will be updated.
