TAMPA - With the holiday season winding down, families across Tampa Bay are starting the cleanup -- and that includes figuring out what to do with real Christmas trees.
Local governments say Christmas tree disposal is not a one-size-fits-all process. Pickup schedules, drop-off locations, and preparation requirements can change from city to city and county to county.
In some areas, residents can set trees out on their regular yard waste day. In others, like St. Petersburg, residents must request pickup in advance. And in places like Pinellas County, trees are often recycled into mulch that can be reused for parks, landscaping, or even picked up by residents for free.
What they're saying:
Officials say the most common issue they see every year is trees being put out with decorations still attached -- which can damage equipment and prevent trees from being recycled.
Pinellas County officials say their yard waste-to-mulch program allows Christmas trees to be reused instead of sent to landfills -- but only if they're prepared correctly.
Ashley Wyland, an environmental outreach specialist with Pinellas County, says trees must be completely bare before they can be processed.
Decorations, lights, and other non-natural materials can tangle in grinding equipment and cannot be recycled with the tree itself, which is why officials stress removing everything before disposal.
In Pasco County, when you drop your tree off, they'll chip it and turn it into mulch for planting beds and walking paths throughout the county.
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Natural Christmas trees can be recycled free of charge at the Citrus County Central Landfill from late December through January.
Christmas trees may be disposed of on your regularly scheduled yard waste day if cut to less than four feet and cleaned of decorations.
Hernando County drop-off facilities for other yard waste are available too.