Those who had live holiday trees in their homes this month can recycle them through Long Beach’s annual Holiday Tree Recycling Program from Tuesday, Dec. 26 through Friday, Jan. 12.
The “Treecycling” program, offered by the city’s Public Works Department, will provide 12 drop-off locations for tree disposal, free of charge. Trees will be sent either to a chipping facility to be turned into landscaping mulch or to a biomass conversion facility to be turned into energy.
Here’s where they can be dropped off:
- Bixby Park, First Street at Cherry Avenue
- Cesar E. Chavez Park, Golden Shore Street at 4th Street
- El Dorado Park, 2760 N. Studebaker Rd. (South Parking Lot Behind Administration Building)
- Houghton Park, Myrtle Avenue at Harding Street
- Hudson Park, Hill Street at Webster Avenue
- Long Beach Environmental Services Bureau, 2929 E. Willow St.
- Marina Vista Park, E. Colorado Street at Marina Drive
- Orizaba Park, Orizaba Avenue at 14th Street
- Scherer Park, 49th Street at Del Amo Boulevard
- Stearns Park, 23rd Street at Roycroft Avenue
- Veterans Park, 28th Street at Pine Avenue
- Wardlow Park, Monlaco Road at Rutgers Avenue
All locations will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A map of drop-off locations, available in multiple languages, can be found here.
This service is for residents only; businesses cannot use it to dispose of their holiday trees.
Long Beach will also hold a citywide Treecycling pick-up day on Saturday, Jan. 13 for residents with city-serviced refuse accounts. Those participating must put their tree where their recyclables are normally collected by 7 a.m. on pick-up day.
Before tossing the tree, all decorations and stands must be removed, and trees over 12 feet tall should be cut in half. Flocked trees will be accepted, but artificial trees will not.
The city collects some 200 tons of holiday trees every year, which is about 10,000 to 15,000 trees. Proper disposal of these trees helps prevent fire hazards and reduces illegally dumped trees on paths throughout the city, according to a press release.
More information on the Treecyling program can be found here.