Christmas Day has come and gone and while the Christmas tree may stay up in your home for a little longer, you may be wondering what to do with it when it's time to take it down.
Here's where to recycle your Christmas tree across the Denver metro area.
City and County of Denver
Denver residents can recycle their old Christmas trees beginning Jan. 4 through the Treecycle Program. For two weeks, Denver Solid Waste Management customers can put their Christmas trees — with all decorations removed — out at the curb on their scheduled trash collection day no later than 7 a.m. This ends on Jan. 15 and is only applicable for live trees. Click here for information on disposing of an artificial tree.
The city has asked residents not to put the trees in bags.
All trees collected through Treecycle will be turned into mulch, which is free to Denver residents at the annual Mulch Giveaway and Compost Sale each spring.
Denver residents who cannot participate in Treecycle can instead recycle their trees at two drop-off locations through Jan. 30. Those locations are:
- Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off (7352 E. Cherry Creek Drive South)
- Havana Nursery (10450 Smith Road)
Residents can also recycle lights that are broken or burned out at the Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off or Blue Star Recyclers (953 Decatur St.) until Jan. 19. This is free.
Douglas County
Douglas County residents can drop off their live Christmas tree anytime between Dec. 26 through Jan. 31 at the following locations:
- Bayou Gulch, 4815 Fox Sparrow Road, Parker
- Challenger Regional Park, 17299 E. Lincoln Ave., Parker
- Fairgrounds Regional Park, 500 Fairgrounds Drive, Castle Rock
- Highland Heritage Regional Park, 9651 S. Quebec St.
Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch and Parker each have individual drop-off locations in their cities. They are as follows:
- Castle Rock (Dec. 26-Jan. 31)
- Founders Park, 4671 Enderud Boulevard (open 24/7)
- Metzler Ranch Community Park , 4175 Trail Boss Drive (open 24/7)
- Paintbrush Park, 3492 Meadows Boulevard (open 24/7)
- Highlands Ranch (Dec. 25-Jan. 17)
- Dad Clark Park, 3385 Asterbrook Circle (open 24/7)
- Redstone Park, 3280 Redstone Park Circle (open 24/7)
- Toepfer Park, 9480 Venneford Ranch Road (open 24/7)
- Parker (Dec. 25-Jan. 29)
- Salisbury Park (east paved parking lot), 12010 S. Motsenbocker Road (open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
City of Englewood
Englewood residents can drop off their Christmas trees for recycling any time from Jan. 1-Jan. 31 at the following locations around the city:
- Bates/Logan Park (parking lot), 2938 S. Logan St.
- Belleview Park (lower east parking lot), 1225 W. Belleview Ave.
- Centennial Park (south parking lot), 4630 S. Decatur St.
- Miller Field (parking lot), 3600 S. Elati St.
City of Aurora
Residents of Aurora are welcome to drop off their real Christmas trees anytime between Dec. 26 and Jan. 7 at the following locations:
- Del Mar Park, 12000 E. Sixth Avenue
- Olympic Park, 15501 E. Yale Avenue
- Saddle Rock Golf Course, 21705 E. Arapahoe Road
All decorations must be removed before drop-off.
Free mulch from the trees is available Dec. 26 through Jan. 7 while supplies last. For more information, call the city at 303-739-7177.
City of Lakewood
The City of Lakewood is offering free tree recycling from Dec. 26 through Jan. 10 anytime between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for Lakewood residents.
You can drop your live tree off at Lakewood’s Greenhouse, 9556 W. Yale Ave.
Wreaths, garland, tree limbs and trees from private contractors are not accepted here.
Mulch is available upon request. Call 720-963-5240 for details.
City of Arvada
Arvada residents have two places in town where they can recycle their Christmas trees.
They can take the bare, live trees to either of the following locations:
- Lake Arbor Lake Park, 6400 Pomona Drive. Open Dec. 26-Jan. 17, no time restrictions.
- Stenger Fields, W. 58th Avenue and Oak Street. Open Dec. 26-Jan. 17, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
These facilities do not accept wreaths, garland or yard waste. Mulch will be available for free at the locations as its available.
City of Littleton
Littleton and South Suburban Parks and Recreation will again collect and mulch Christmas trees this year. This service begins Dec. 26 and will last through Jan. 10.
The Littleton collection site is located at Cornerstone Park near the roundabout off Centennial Link Trail.
In addition, South Suburban Parks and Recreation will collect trees at the Willow Springs Service Center, located at 7100 S. Holly Street in Centennial. Both sites are open every day from sunrise to sunset.
City of Golden
Christmas tree recycling is underway in Golden and will run through late January. All ornaments and other decorations must be removed before drop-off at the corner of Golden Gate Canyon Road and Highway 93. A sign is posted with directions on where to drop the tree.
The Forestry Division turns the trees into mulch. For more information, call 303-384-8141.