How To Recycle Christmas Trees In Manatee County In 2022

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Now that Christmas is over, Bradenton-area residents and business owners may be wondering how they should dispose of their Christmas tree.

Luckily, Manatee County has offered some tips on how to properly get rid of your tree and clean up and recycle after the holidays.

Before anything else, you should remove all tinsel, lights, decorations, tree stands and plastic bags from your Christmas tree.

The best option for disposing of your tree is by placing it at the curb on your yard waste collection day for recycling, the county said. Artificial trees are not collected with yard waste.

Trees should be no longer than 4 feet long and large trees should be cut into pieces 4 feet long or smaller.

You can also use your free annual special pickup to have your tree collected, the county added.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that Christmas trees are brought outside after the holiday or when they’re dried out. Because dried-out trees are a fire hazard, they shouldn’t be left in the home or garage or placed outside against the home.

In addition to Christmas trees, the county also suggests that the following items get recycled or thrown away, reused, or donated:

• Christmas lights
• Garland and tinsel
• Wrapping paper
• Ribbons and bows
• Bubble wrap and plastic air pillows
• Styrofoam
• Plastic utensils, plates and cups
• Paper plates, napkins and cups
• Plastic wrapping
• Plastic bags
• Aluminum foil and aluminum pans
• Clothing
• Batteries
• Electronic scraps

Putting items such as plastic bags, Christmas lights, Christmas trees, garland and tinsel in your recycling cart contaminates the materials, reducing the amount of recyclables that can be successfully recovered, the county said. They can also jam and damage the sorting equipment.

Standard alkaline batteries can be tossed in regular trash. Rechargeable batteries must be disposed of as household hazardous waste and may be brought to the Lena Road Landfill Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Electronic scraps can be brought to the landfill Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and during special collections held the third Saturday of each month, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the landfill. You can also make special arrangements to pick up electronic waste using your one free annual special pick-up or for a fee by calling 941-792-8811.

If you don’t receive trash services from Manatee County, check with your municipality on how to dispose of your Christmas tree.