NC Holiday Tree & Wreath Drop Spots
It’s time to properly dispose of real Christmas trees, wreaths, and trimmings. Yard waste has been banned from North Carolina landfills since 1994, so most communities have processes in place to mulch or compost your natural holiday decor and will incentivize diversion by taking holiday trees at no charge. Find a place nearest you, along with instructions on how municipalities would lie you to dispose of your organic holiday waste.
Please remove all lights and other non-compostable items such as decorations, metal wire, tinsel, ornaments, fake snow, tree stands, tree skirts, and metal from wreaths.
Contact NCCC if you know of additional Christmas tree drop off sites in your area. Reminder: most centers will be closed on January 1, 2024.
Buncombe County:
Curbside & Drop Off Collections
Asheville residents can place Christmas trees at the curb for regular brush collection. Christmas trees can be dropped off (for a potential fee) for recycling at Buncombe County Landfill (85 Panther Branch Road) or a private yard waste facility.
Cartaret County:
Cape Carteret, Emerald Isle & Surfrider Foundation Bogue Banks Chapter Sand Dune Restoration- Through January 31, 2024.
Cape Carteret and Emerald Isle are partnering with the Surfrider Foundation Bogue Banks Chapter to pick up and recycle Christmas trees.
Christmas trees catch blowing sand and promote dune stabilization and formation of new dunes. Those who want live trees, free of ornaments, picked up for use to help build oceanfront dunes in Emerald Isle should call Public Works Director Ryan Hutchinson at 252-725-0603 to schedule a pick up.
The program runs through Tuesday, January 31st.
Chatham County:
Drop Off: December 28, 2023- January 19, 2024
Chatham County offers Christmas tree recycling (for real trees only) at the Main Facility from Thursday, December 28, 2023 through Friday January 19, 2024, Monday through Friday from 7am to 3:30pm at 28 County Services Road, in Pittsboro. Please note: the office will be closed Monday, January 1st for New Year’s Day and Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
After these dates trees are accepted for the normal yard debris charge for $20 per ton, with a $2 minimum.
Artificial trees can be placed in the scrap metal recycling bin at the Collection Centers or Main Facility, but all decorations and lights must be removed. Pre-lit trees cannot be recycled, so throw those in with the regular trash.
Durham County:
Curbside & Drop-Off Locations
Durham Waste Disposal & Recycling Center
Hours of Operation: Saturday 7:30am-12pm; Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm
Location: 2115 E. Club. Blvd., Durham, NC, 27704
Saturdays, January 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th from 7am to 12pm.
Live trees may be dropped off at no charge at the following seven park locations. Solid Management crews will be on site each of these Saturdays to assist.
Trees taller than 6′ must be cut in half. Trees must have all decorations and hardware removed including tinsel, lights, garland, ornaments, nails, and stands. Trees must not be inside bags.
Learn more here.
C.M. Herndon Park, 511 Scott King Rd.
Valley Springs Park, 3805 Valley Springs Rd
Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Dr.
Merrick-Moore Park, 632 N. Hoover Rd
Southern Boundaries Park, 3400 Third Fork Rd.
Bethesda Park, 1814 Stage Rd.
Campus Hills 2000 S. Alston Ave. (parking lot)
Guilford County:
Drop Off December 26, 2023- January 15, 2024 & Curbside Availability
Guilford County provides residents free disposal for live Christmas trees at the Guilford County Farm (formerly the Sheriff’s Prison Farm), located at 7315 Howerton Road, Gibsonville. The site is open from December 26th through January 15th. Drop off hours are Monday through Saturday 7am to 6pm.
Some towns and cities in Guilford County provide residential collection of Christmas trees.
- The City of Greensboro collects trees curbside. Trees over 5′ tall should be cut in half. Call (336)373-2489 for more information.
- The City of High Point collects trees curbside in January. Call (336)883-3111 for more information.
- Jamestown residents also have curbside tree collection available. Place trees out with trash on your regular pick-up day. Call the town are (336)454-1138 with questions.
- Gibsonville Christmas trees are collected and chipped curbside as part of the Town of Gibsonville’s regular chipping routes. Call (336)449-4144 with questions.
Note: Trees will no longer be collected at Piedmont Triad Farmers Market or at Tabernacle United Methodist Church.
Learn more here.
Henderson County:
Jackson Park Ball Field: January 6, 2024 9am-2pm
Bring your trees and wreaths to Mountain True’s annual Holiday Recycling Event to be chipped onsite into mulch. Don’t forget to bring containers to haul away fresh mulch for your gardens and landscaping too! Please be prepared to carry your tree and wreath yourself.
Volunteers will also be collecing (clean and empty) foam packaging, and the Henderson County 4-H club will be accepting string lights. Trees and wreaths can be dropped off as early as New Year’s Day; all other items will be accepted on the day of the event.
January 6, 2024 from 9am-2pm @ Jackson Park Ball Field (801 Glover Street., Hendersonville, NC, 28792).
For questions contact the event organizer, Nancy Diaz, at nancy@mountaintrue.org.
Johnston County:
Johnston County Drop Off Until February 15, 2024
Johnston County residents (possessing a Solid Waste Decal) may take discarded clean, live Christmas trees free of charge to any of the 12 Convenience Sites throughout the county until February 15th or at any time to the County Landfill located at 680 County Home Road, Smithfield (27577). Trees will be ground into mulch for beneficial use.
New Hanover County:
Home Depot Drop Off Options
Two Home Depot locations in Wilmington offer tree drop-off during daylight hours: 5511 Carolina Beach Road and 210 Eastwood Road.
New Hanover County Landfill
The New Hanover County Landfill, located at 5210 US 421 N., also accepts live Christmas trees which will be used for mulch.
Curbside options may also be available to existing vegetative debris customers.
Christmas tree and organic waste drop off for New Hanover County residents is open Monday-Friday 6:30am to 5:00pm; Saturday 6:30am-12pm; and Closed Sundays. (5210 US Highway 421 N., Wilmington, NC)
Inform staff at the weigh house that you’re using the compost/vegetative debris drop off to waive the fee.
Onslow County:
The Onslow County Landfill, as well as two of our convenience sites, accep real Christmas trees. Real trees are taken as yard waste, $3 per tree. The Onslow County Solid Waste & Landfill is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30am to 5pm at 415 Meadowview Road in Jacksonville.
The Convenience sites are open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Satruday fro 8am to 5:30 pm.
All sites also take artificial Christmas trees for recycling, at no fee. For more information, call (910)989-2107 for the landfill, for Midway Park call (910)353-3980, or for Folksone call (910)327-2444.
Onslow County Solid Waste also recycles string lights, plastic containers, aluminum (cans, pie plates, foil), metal, glass containers, all paper and boxes for free.
Learn more here.
Orange County:
Orange County residents can drop off real Christmas trees to the Orange County Transfer Stations in New Hampon (21 Training Center Lane) and Newburgh (9 Orr Avenue) to be ground up and recycled. There is no charge for disposal until the program ends January 31, 2024.
Pender County:
Wilmington Compost Company
Open 8am-5pm
Location: 7336 State HWY 210. Rocky Point, NC
Wake County:
The following Wake County Solid Waste Convenience Centers are open for tree drop-offs from 7am to 7pm seven days a week:
Convenience Center #1: Garner, NC
Convenience Center #1: 10505 Old Stage Road, Garner, NC.
Convenience Center #2: Apex, NC
Convenience Center #2: 6120 Old Smithfield Road, Apex, NC.
Convenience Center #4: Raleigh, NC
Convenience Center #4: 3600 Yates Mill Pond Road, Raleigh, NC
Convenience Center #11: Wendell, NC
Convenience Center #11: 5051 Wendell Blvd./US 64 Business, Wendell, NC.
