26th Annual City of Houston Christmas Tree Recycling Kick-Off

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 6, 2017

City of Houston 

 
Harry J. Hayes, Director
For more information, please contact:
City of Houston Solid Waste Management
Sylvester Turner, Mayor

Irma Reyes, Public Information Officer
(832) 393-0475 office 
irma.reyes@houstontx.gov 

Tyra Wilkins
(832) 393-0448 office
tyra.wilkins@houstontx.gov 

   

City officials, along with representatives from Reliant Energy and Living Earth, watched as the official city holiday tree was cut into small pieces and mulched for the 26th year in a row. The annual event serves to encourage and remind residents to recycle their holiday trees, saving landfill space and disposal costs.

“Many families celebrate the holidays with a real tree and want to be good stewards when the season is over by recycling it,” said Elizabeth Killinger, president of Reliant and NRG Retail. “The City of Houston leads by example every year with the recycling of its holiday tree and by providing convenient ways for residents to recycle their tree at free, drop-off recycling sites. At Reliant, we are happy to support this annual tradition and the city’s sustainability efforts. Together, as Houstonians, we respect the precious resources we are so blessed with.”

From December 28, 2016 through January 20, 2017, residents can recycle their real (natural) trees by dropping them off at one of twenty-four (24) free recycling locations throughout Houston to the drop-off locations.

Additionally, SWMD will collect and recycle clean holiday trees left by residents at the curb on their scheduled Tree Waste collection day. Trees collected for recycling will be chipped, mixed with leaves, and recycled rich into mulch made available in bulk directly from Living Earth or in bags as Living Earth Houston Mulch sold at Houston area retailers.

The trees must have all decorations, ornaments, tinsel, lights and stands removed; trees that still have these items attached will be collected as garbage. Flocked trees will not be recycled. Residents are being asked to discard fake trees with regular trash.

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING LOCATIONS:
> Download Location PDF HERE.

OPEN Wednesday - Sunday 9am to 6pm

OPEN Monday - Saturday 8am to 5pm, CLOSED Monday, January 2, 2017

OPEN DAILY, 9am to 6pm

  • Kingwood – Bens View Lane @ Bens Branch Drive
  • Doss Park (gates close at 5) - 2500 Frick Road
  • Memorial Park (Ball Fields 4 and 5) - 7300 Memorial Drive
  • T.C. Jester Park - 4200 T.C. Jester West
  • Elington Airport Recycling Drop-off –HWY 3@ Brantley Road
LIVING EARTH will be closed Saturday, December 31, 2016 and Monday, January 2, 2017
MON-FRI 7:00am to 5:30pm and Saturday 7:00am - 12pm

  • Living Earth - 5802 Crawford Rd., Houston, TX 77041
  • Living Earth - 1503 Industrial Drive, Missouri City, TX 77489
  • Living Earth - 1700 HWY 90A East, Richmond, TX 77469
  • Living Earth - 12202 Cutten Road, Houston, TX 77066
  • Living Earth - 16138 Highway 6, Rosharon, TX 77583
  • Living Earth - 5210 S. Sam Houston Pkwy E, Houston, TX 77048
  • Living Earth - 27733 Katy Freeway, Katy, TX 77494
  • Living Earth - 10310 Beaumont Highway, Houston, TX 77078
  • Living Earth - 17555 I-45 South, Conroe, TX 77385
  • Living Earth - 20611 US Hwy 59, New Caney, TX 77357
  • Living Earth - 1000 FM 1266, Dickinson, TX 77539
  • Living Earth - 16717 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77094

ODDS & EVENS: The Solid Waste Management Department would also like to remind residents to remember their Odds and Evens.

ODD numbered months: January, March, May, July, September and November are Tree Waste months.
SWMD collects Tree Waste ONLY in these months. Tree Waste is clean wood waste such as tree limbs, branches and stumps.

EVEN numbered months: February, April, June, August, October and December are Junk Waste months.
Junk waste is collected in these months and is clean untreated lumber, furniture, appliances (with the Freon removed) and other bulk items.

Residents are limited to eight cubic yards (two pickup beds full) per monthly collection.

ODDS & EVENS COLLECTION SHEDULE

MONTH

COLLECTION

January

Tree Waste

February

Junk Waste

March

Tree Waste

April

Junk Waste

May

Tree Waste

June

Junk Waste

July

Tree Waste

August

Junk Waste

September

Tree Waste

October

Junk Waste

November

Tree Waste

December

Junk Waste

For more information about the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and its services, residents may check online at www.houstonsolidwaste.org, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/houstonsolidwaste, follow us on twitter @houstontrash or call 3-1-1, the City of Houston’s Customer Service Helpline.

ABOUT HOUSTON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

The Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) provides solid waste services to the citizens of Houston through the collection, disposal and recycling of discarded material in a manner that is safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective.