How to dispose of your holiday tree in Austin

Residents, including those who do not have curbside collection, can also drop their trees at Zilker Park on Jan. 2, 8 or 9 between 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

“Whether residents choose to recycle their tree curbside or as part of our Zilker Park tree recycling events in January, they should remove all decorations from their tree (including tinsel) and tree stands. Flocked trees are not accepted,” said Alyssa Armstrong, a public information specialist with Austin Resource Recovery, in an email.

She added that trees should not be placed in plastic bags.

The mulch from the recycled trees will be available for free on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Jan. 12 at 9 a.m., Armstrong said. Trees collected at curbside will be turned into compost at Organics by Gosh.

Alternative locations provided by Travis County or businesses that take natural trees are available on the city of Austin website. According to a Dec. 22 Travis County news release, Travis County residents can drop trees off at no cost from Dec. 26-Jan. 10 from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

In addition, Texas Disposal Systems listed six tree drop-off sites on its website, including locations in Bee Cave and Georgetown. For those sites, drop-off begins Dec. 27 and is also free of charge.