Delaware residents encouraged to recycle Christmas trees at TreeCycle event

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As the holidays wrap up, environmental regulators in Delaware are encouraging people to recycle their Christmas trees.

On Jan. 10, people can bring their real trees to the Delaware Center for Horticulture for its TreeCycle event.

“This is a really fun event because of its simplicity,” said Caitlyn Ridgley, communications manager at DCH. “You literally drive up with your tree, whether it’s on top of your car, in your trunk, some people walk up, ride your bike over with your tree, and we pretty much handle the rest.”

During the event, the Davey Tree Expert Company will use a commercial chipper to produce wood chips and mulch for DCH’s gardens, as well as community gardens and public landscapes across Wilmington.

“We’ve used the mulch in our urban farm area, and it just suppresses weeds for us and it smells amazing,” Ridgley said. “Other people have put them into yard waste collection sites and it biodegrades, it’s going back into the earth and provides nutrients.”

In 2024, more than 156,600 tons of yard waste were recycled in Delaware, including lawn and landscaping materials and holiday trees.

Delaware doesn’t permit people to dispose of real trees and yard waste into landfills.

“In the landfill, things don’t break down quite as quickly as they might in, say, a compost pile,” said Charlie Border, an environmental scientist from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s recycling program. “Yard waste just takes up a lot of space for a product that can be put to use cheaply and easily everywhere throughout the state. So that’s why we try to keep it out of landfills.”

DNREC also urges residents against disposing of their trees at state parks or the beach.

Border encourages people who cannot attend the TreeCycle event to find out whether their trash collector can pick up trees. Several landscapers also collect used trees and recycle them into mulch, he said.

Delaware residents can also use yard waste drop-off sites statewide.

The TreeCycle event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, at 1810 N. Dupont St., Wilmington, Delaware. Attendants are encouraged to bring a $20 donation.

DCH reminds attendants to remove all ornaments, garland, flocking, lights and stands before bringing their tree to the event.