How to get your Christmas tree recycled

Christmas trees can be recycled curbside on collection days, starting Dec. 26, or brought to drop-off locations throughout San Diego County. Here’s a guide on where to recycle your real tree after the holidays.

BONSALL
Place tree in green waste cart on regular collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. Or recycle trees inside containers at River Village, 5256 S. Mission Road, in the northwest parking lot through Jan. 5. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 727-1600 or visit edcodisposal.com.

CARLSBAD
Tree pickup on residents’ normally scheduled collection day through Jan. 15 with tree drop-off locations at Calaveras Park, 2997 Glasgow Drive; Stagecoach Park, 3420 Camino de los Coches; Fire Station 2, 1275 Carlsbad Village Drive; Poinsettia Park, 6600 Hidden Valley Road; and Waste Management, 5960 El Camino Real. Remove all decorations, including tinsel, lights, ornaments and tree stands. Trees taller than 6 feet must be cut in half and placed next to green waste cart. If possible, trees should be cut and placed inside green waste container with lid closed. Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be disposed through regular trash service; trees must fit into the trash can, with lid closed for collection. Visit wm.com.

CHULA VISTA
Place tree at the curb on any regular collection day. Remove all ornaments, tinsel, garland and plastic or metal stands and, if possible, cut into 4-foot sections. Visit republicservices.com.

CORONADO
Place cut trees in green bin anytime before regular collection days through Jan. 9 or call EDCO to
setup bulky item pickup for scheduled pickup day. Tree must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Drop-off locations through Jan. 15 are Glorietta Bay Park (boat ramp parking lot), 1975 Strand Way, and Coronado Cays (parking lot
across Fire Station on Grand Caribe Causeway). Visit edcodisposal.com.

DEL MAR
Tree pickup on residents’ normally scheduled collection day through Jan. 8 with tree drop-off at the Public Works yard, 2240 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Remove all decorations, including tinsel, lights, ornaments and tree stands. Trees taller than 6 feet must be cut in half and placed next to green waste container. Smaller trees should be cut and placed inside green waste container with lid closed. Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be disposed through regular trash service; trees must fit into the trash can, with lid closed for collection. Visit wm.com.

EL CAJON
Place tree inside green waste cart on regular collections day through Jan. 10. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. After Jan. 10, call (619) 596-5100 to schedule a bulk item
pickup. Drop within approximately two weeks after Christmas at El Cajon Recycle Buy Back Center, 925 O’Connor St. Visit wm.com.

ENCINITAS
Place tree in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 728-6114 or visit edcodisposal.com.

ESCONDIDO
Place tree in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Drop off trees through Jan. 8 at Kit Carson Park, south entrance, across from the adult softball complex and at Jesmond Dene Park. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 745-3203 or visit escondidodisposal.com. (To drop off through Jan. 16 in San Pasqual Valley, go to San Pasqual Valley Soils, 16111 Old Milky Way. Visit spvsoils.com)

FALLBROOK
Place Christmas tree in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. Trees of all sizes may also be recycled at two drop-off sites through Jan. 8 at River Village, 5256 S. Mission Road, in the northwest parking lot; or Fallbrook Waste & Recycling, 550 W. Aviation Road, through Jan. 8. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 728-6114 or visit edcodisposal.com.

IMPERIAL BEACH
Place cut trees in green bin through Jan. 9 or call EDCO to setup bulky item pickup
for scheduled pickup. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Or drop off through Jan. 15 at Imperial Beach Public Works, 495 10th St., or Sport Recreation Center parking lot, 425 Imperial Beach Blvd. Visit edcodisposal.com.

LA MESA
Place cut trees in green bin on regular collections day through Jan. 9 or call EDCO to setup bulky item pickup for scheduled pickup. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Or drop off through Jan. 9 at EDCO Station, 8184 Commercial St. Visit edcodisposal.com.

LEMON GROVE
Place cut trees in green bin on regular collections day through Jan. 9. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. After Jan. 9, call EDCO to setup bulky item pickup. Or drop off through Jan. 15 at Civic Center Park, 3200 Main St. Visit edcodisposal.com.

NATIONAL CITY
Place cut trees in green bin through Jan. 9 or call EDCO to setup bulky item pickup
for scheduled pickup. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Or drop off at
Kimball Park, 12th St. & A Ave. parking lot or Las Palmas Park, 1800 E. 22nd St. pool parking lot.
Visit edcodisposal.com.

OCEANSIDE
Tree pickup on residents’ normally scheduled collection day through Jan. 15 with tree drop-off locations at the City Operations Center, 4925 Oceanside Blvd. Flocked trees are accepted for drop-off as well. Remove all decorations, including tinsel, lights, ornaments and tree stands. Trees taller than 6 feet must be cut in half and placed inside green waste container. Smaller trees should be cut and placed inside green waste container with lid closed. Visit wm.com.

POWAY
Put trees curbside on collection day through Jan. 8. Remove stand and trimmings; trees should be cut into 4-foot lengths or shorter. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (858) 748-7769 or visit edcodisposal.com.

RAMONA
Put trees curbside in green waste carts through Jan. 8 on collection days. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees; must be cut into 4-foot sections. Trees of all sizes can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 26-27 and Jan. 1-3 at Ramona High School, 1401 Hanson Lane, and The Village Shopping Center – SDCE. Ramona disposal will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 789-0516 or visit ramonadisposal.com.

SAN DIEGO
Curbside collection of Christmas trees (for residents with yard waste collection). Manual container customers using their own bins should place trees on the curb for collection on
regular greenery recycling pickup day. Trees over 4 feet in length should be cut in half. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Automated container customers using the large, green 96-gallon bin provided by the city should cut their trees to fit into the automated container for pickup on collection day.

The city of San Diego’s annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 23 and includes 17 drop-off locations for city residents:

Carmel Valley: Carmel Valley Recreation Center, 3777 Townsgate Drive (lower parking lot)

Encanto: Cielo Drive at Woodman Street

Golden Hill: Golden Hill Recreation Center, 2600 Golf Course Drive

La Jolla: Kate Sessions Memorial Park, corner of Mount Soledad Road and Loring Street

Logan Heights: Memorial Recreation Center, 2902 Marcy Ave.

Miramar: Miramar Greenery Recycling at Miramar Landfill, 5180 Convoy St. (accepts trees throughout the year)

Mission Bay: SeaWorld Drive at Pacific Highway

Mountain View: Ocean View Boulevard at 40th Street (north side)

Oak Park: Chollas Lake, 6350 College Grove Drive (Gloria Mesa parking lot)

Ocean Beach: Robb Field Recreation Center, 2525 Bacon St.

Otay Mesa/Nestor: Montgomery Waller Community Park (lower parking lot, southeast corner of Palm Avenue and Beyer Boulevard)

Rancho Bernardo: Rancho Bernardo Recreation Center, 18448 W. Bernardo Drive

Rancho Penasquitos: Canyonside Recreation Center, 12350 Black Mountain Road

San Diego State University: Parking lot 17 off Alvarado Road

Scripps Ranch: Scripps Ranch Recreation Center, 11454 Blue Cypress Drive

Tierrasanta: Tierrasanta Community Park, 11220 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (pool parking lot)

University City: Standley Community Park (parking lot), 3585 Governor Drive

Visit https://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/events/christmas.

SAN MARCOS
Place tree in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. Trees of all sizes may also be recycled through Jan. 10 at the San Marcos Senior Center, 111 Richmar Ave. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 744-2700 or visit edcodisposal.com.

SANTEE
Place cut trees in yard waste bin on regular collections day through Jan. 9. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Or Santee customers can drop off trees through Jan. 9 at Waste Management Recycle Center, 925 O’Connor St., El Cajon. Visit wm.com.

SOLANA BEACH
Put trees curbside on collection day Dec. 26 through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Drop off trees through Jan. 10 at City Hall, 635 Highway 101 South, and La Colonia Park, 715 Valley Ave. Put trees in collection containers. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (858) 350-8544 or visit edcodisposal.com.

VALLEY CENTER
Place tree in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Drop off trees through Jan. 9 at Valley Center Elementary School lower parking lot, 28751 Cole Grade Road. Put trees in collection containers. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 744-2700 or visit edcodisposal.com.

VISTA
EDCO customers can put trees in green waste cart on collection days through Jan. 8; must be cut into 4-foot sections. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stands or flocked trees. Or put trees in containers through Jan. 10 at the vacant lot at Vale Terrace and Williamston, or lot at South Melrose Drive and Shadowridge Drive. EDCO will observe Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays and residential collection will be delayed by one day for Friday customers only. Call (760) 727-1600 or visit edcodisposal.com.

UNINCORPORATED SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Place trees in yard waste bin on regular collections day through Jan. 9. No ornaments, tinsel, nails, tree stand or flocked trees. Check with the waste disposal provider in your area.