Here are some tips on how to recycle your Christmas tree in Miami-Dade and Broward
Whether you get rid of your Christmas tree before New Year’s Day or after Three Kings Day, the important thing is knowing how to do it correctly.
Each county has its own set of rules, dates and locations to dispose of or recycle Christmas trees to keep the neighborhoods looking clean, protect the environment and avoid wildfires.
How to recycle your Christmas tree in Miami-Dade County
To recycle your Christmas tree into mulch in Miami-Dade County, the first thing you need to do is remove all holiday decorations from the tree. If you want to get rid of it through Wednesday, Jan. 5, you have to drop it off at one of the following trash and recycling centers:
- Eureka Drive - 9401 SW 184 St.
- Golden Glades - 140 NW 160 St.
- Moody Drive - 12970 SW 268 St.
- North Dade Landfill - 21500 NW 47 Ave.
- Norwood - 19901 NW 7 Ave.
- Palm Springs North - 7870 NW 178 St.
- Snapper Creek - 2200 SW 117 Ave.
- South Miami Heights - 20800 SW 117 Ct.
- West Little River - 1830 NW 79 St.
- West Perrine - 16651 SW 107 Ave.
West Miami-Dade Home Chemical Collection Center - 8801 NW 58 St. (tree drop off only)
The centers are open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If you want to hold on to your tree a little bit longer, crews will collect them from the curbside in two sweeps beginning Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The first sweep will be from Jan. 5 to Jan. 16, with trees being collected on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. But you have to place the tree by the curb by Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The final sweep will be from Jan. 19 to Jan. 30, with trees being collected on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. You have to place the tree by the curbside by Wednesday, Jan. 19.
“Do not place whole or cut up trees in the green garbage carts or blue recycling carts,” per the county’s website.
The Christmas trees dropped off at the TRC centers and those collected at curbside during the sweeps will be recycled into mulch. Residents who provide proof of residency within the service area will be able to pick up free mulch at one of the TRC centers starting in the spring.
If you place your tree at the curbside as part of a scheduled bulky waste pickup it will not be recycled into mulch.
If you want to know when exactly you can get your free mulch, sign up at cloud.info.miamidade.gov/christmastree to receive a notification from the city of when the mulch is ready for pickup.
Miami-Dade County also wants you to know that these services are only for residents who receive waste collection services from the county. If you do not receive waste collection services from the county, you have to contact your local service provider directly.
How to recycle your Christmas tree in Coral Gables
Some municipalities in Miami-Dade may have their own Christmas tree recycling programs.
The city of Coral Gables is offering free Christmas tree recycling to its residents through Jan. 14. If you live in a single-family home, this is your tree pickup schedule according to where you live:
- Coral Way to north city limits: Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10
- Coral Way to Bird Road: Dec. 28, Jan. 4 and Jan. 11
- Bird Road to Sunset: Dec. 30, Jan. 6 and Jan. 13
- Sunset to south city limits: Dec. 31, Jan. 7 and Jan. 14
But the city will not pick up your tree if you don’t follow these rules:
- Place tree out after 5 p.m. the day before your scheduled tree collection day.
- Keep tree separate from your trash and yard waste pile. If the tree is placed in the trash pile with other debris, it won’t be recycled.
- Remove tree stand, lights, ornaments, tinsel, and other decorations before placing out for collection.
- Do not bag your tree or place flocked trees out for collection.
If you live in an apartment, you can take the tree to the War Memorial Youth Center’s west parking lot at 405 University Drive through Jan. 14.
How to recycle your Christmas tree in Broward County
Broward County residents can drop off their Christmas trees at these parks and facilities through Monday, Jan. 17:
- Brian Piccolo Sports Park & Velodrome, 9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City; 954-357-5150
- C.B. Smith Park, 900 N. Flamingo Rd., Pembroke Pines 954-357-5170
- Easterlin Park, 1000 N.W. 38th St., Oakland Park; 954-357-5190
- Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Rd. South, Coconut; 954-357-5198
- Markham Park & Target Range, 16001 W. State Rd. 84, Sunrise; 954-357-8868
- Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-357-8801
- Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area, 3600 S.W. 62nd Ave., Miramar; 954-357-8776
- Tradewinds Park & Stables, 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek; 954-357-8870
- Tree Tops Park, 3900 S.W. 100th Ave., Davie; 954-357-5130
- T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood; 954-357-8811
- Vista View Park, 4001 S.W. 142nd Ave., Davie; 954-357-8898
- West Lake Park, 1200 Sheridan St., Hollywood 954-357-5161
Each facility has its own schedule, so the county wants you to call before you get there, according to its website.
You have to remove all the tree’s decorations before it can be recycled into mulch, which will be used for landscaping throughout the county’s park system. There is a limit of two trees per vehicle.
Broward County does not have a Christmas tree pickup service, but if you live in unincorporated Broward, you can leave your tree by the curb on the week of Jan. 31 as part of the county’s monthly bulk waste collection, said Notosha Austin, acting director of the county’s Waste and Recycling Services.
Please, do not block the sidewalk with your tree, Austin added.
If you live in one of the county’s 31 municipalities, contact your municipality’s waste and recycling department to learn if they are picking up trees by the curb, Austin said.
How to recycle your Christmas tree in Fort Lauderdale
Some municipalities in Broward may have their own Christmas tree recycling programs, too.
The city of Fort Lauderdale — via Republic Services — is picking up Christmas trees through Jan. 9.
The trees will be transported to a yard waste processor where they will be composted, per the city’s website.
The city is asking residents not to place their trees in any type of bag and to put them by the curb before 7 a.m. on their yard waste collection day.
But don’t panic if you are reading this after Jan. 9 because Fort Lauderdale residents have two more options to dispose of their Christmas trees.
City residents can either use their green yard waste cart — cutting the tree into pieces if necessary so the cart’s lid closes — or leave them by their curbside for bulk trash pickup.
Did we miss a city that has a Christmas tree recycling or pickup program? Send us an email to orodriguezortiz@miamiherald.com.
