December 26, 2023
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Several neighborhood groups will accept Christmas trees and turn them into mulch or compost. The city's streets department will also collect holiday greenery for free at designated sanitation centers.
It stood pretty in your living room all month long, but now that Dec. 25 has passed, let's face it: It's nearly time to ditch your Christmas tree.
Philly residents essentially have two options to dispose of their rapidly drying evergreens. They can place trees curbside for trash collection. Or they can recycle them with a participating city partner.
Recycled Christmas trees are generally run through a wood chipper and transformed into compost or mulch for parks and gardens. For a small donation, Philly residents can bring their trees to one of several recycling drop-off sites, some of which offer free cocoa and/or goat encounters. Private composters also are offering scheduled pickups for a $20 fee. And for no money at all, the Streets Department will take your trees at one of 19 designated locations.
Here's where – and when – Christmas trees can be recycled in Philly:
Give your tree a second life as goat food. The Philly Goat Project is once again hosting multiple tree-cycling events in January. You can enjoy a fire pit, free s'mores and hot cocoa, and quality time with some of the group's star goats. The suggested donation for each tree is $20, but you also can attend the festivals/fundraisers without a dying spruce or fir. The events will be held on Saturdays Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Farm at Awbury Arboretum and on Saturday, Jan. 20 from noon to 2 p.m. at Laurel Hill West Cemetery.
The Tree Tenders group for Newbold, West Passyunk and East Point Breeze will host two tree (or wreath) drop-off events, each with a suggested donation of $5. The first will take place Friday, Dec. 30 from noon to 3 p.m. at Guerin Recreation Center, while the second is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6 at the Manton Green community garden between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Residents in the 19145 or 19146 zip codes also can schedule a curbside pickup with South Philly Green for $15. The deadline is Jan. 5.
South Philly residents on the east side of Broad Street can bring their Christmas trees to Columbus Square Park on Saturday, Jan. 6 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. For a suggested donation of $5, the Passyunk Square Civic Association will accept your holiday greenery and turn it into mulch for local parks.
The Fishtown Neighbors Association will host a Christmas tree chipping party at the Palmer Doggie Depot park on Saturday, Jan. 6. Donors can stop by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. with their trees, and enjoy a complimentary hot chocolate. Volunteers will also be accepting early tree drop-offs at the dog park from Jan. 1-5. The suggested donation for either option is $5.
Northern Liberties residents can take their trees to Liberty Lands now through Monday, Jan. 15 for recycling. The drop-off spot is the southwest corner of the park behind Kaplan's Bakery, and the service is free thanks to funding from Penn Treaty SSD.
For most of the year, Bennett Compost collects food scraps and yard trimmings from Philly residents and transforms them into compost. But in late December and early January, the private pickup service expands its scope to include Christmas trees. Tree pickup is available for $20 on the weekends of Dec. 30-31, Jan. 6-7, Jan. 13-14 and Jan. 20-21 via Bennett's online portal.
Circle Compost, another private food scrap collector in Philadelphia, will pick up Christmas trees for recycling on the weekends of Dec. 30-31, Jan. 6-7 and Jan. 13-14. Donated trees will go to a partner farm, where they will be ground into wood chips for mulch and composting. The $20 pickup service is open to all, but reservations are required.
The city's annual Christmas tree recycling program kicks off on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Between then and Saturday, Jan. 13, residents can drop off their trees at designated drop-off sites or sanitation centers free of charge. Those spots include:
| Location | Drop-off dates | Times |
| Cathedral Street & Ridge Avenue | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| 300 Domino Lane | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| Gravers Lane & Seminole Street | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Washington Lane & Ardleigh Street | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Wayne Avenue & Logan Street | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Castor Avenue & Foulkrod Street | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Jardel Recreation Center | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Fox Chase Recreation Center | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| State Road & Ashburner Street | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| 3901 N. Delaware Ave. | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| American & Thompson streets | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Corinthian Avenue & Poplar Street | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| 2601 W. Glenwood Ave. | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| 54th Street & Woodbine Avenue | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| 43rd Street & Powelton Avenue | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| 5100 Grays Ave. | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| Broad & Christian streets | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| 3033 S. 63rd Street | Jan. 2-13 (except Sunday) | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
| 15th & Bigler streets | Jan. 6 & 13 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. |
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