Useful: Green Philly Blog’s Guide to Christmas Tree Recycling in Philly


Don't do this, whatever you do.

Don’t do this, whatever you do. // Photo via Shutterstock

If you’ve been staring at the giant tree in your living room since December 26th and wondering how in the world to dispose of it, fear not: Our friend Julie Hancher at Green Philly Blog has you covered. She’s amassed a very (very!) useful guide to where to recycle Christmas trees in Philly, with drop-off locations this weekend from South Philly to Northern Liberties to West Philly and more. A few of them are accepting other kinds of hard-to-dispose-of items, too, (think TVs, computer monitors, etc.) so you can clean out even more of your house in one fell swoop.

Why recycle your tree instead of leaving it out on the curb for the garbage trucks to pick up? Curbside trees end up in city landfills, and “most modern landfills aren’t made to make things decompose,” says Hancher. So the trees either sit and rot for a really, really long time, or they’re incinerated, which adds to air pollution. Recycled trees, however, are put to good use as compost, mulch or wood-chip ground covering for city parks, playgrounds, dog runs and community gardens. That makes you feel good, right?

Check out Green Philly Blog’s tree cycling guide right here to find a drop-off spot in your neighborhood.