Christmas Tree Pickup, Holiday Light Recycling Begins In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — As the holiday season comes to a close and a new year approaches, crews of city workers will begin picking up Christmas trees on Monday and through the end of next month in Evanston. Residents can also drop off holiday lights for recycling at several locations around town.

Trees should be left in the parkway between the street and the sidewalk — not in an alley and not on private property — in order to be picked up on the same day as normal refuse and recycling collection, city staff announced.

Residents were asked to remove any lights or decorations from the trees and not to leave their trees in plastic bags, which can damage the machines used to turn trees into mulch.

Crews will pick up trees for five weeks — during regularly scheduled collections from Dec. 30 to Jan. 31 — giving residents some flexibility regarding when they wish to take down their trees.

The annual holiday light recycling program also continues until the end of January 2020.

Any lights on strings and extension cords will be accepted. But residents should make sure to unwrap the lights from any wreaths, garlands or live greens. They will not be taken as part of the free program organized through the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County and Elgin Recycling.

Lights can be dropped off at three locations during normal business hours: the Levy Senior Center at 300 Dodge Ave., the Evanston Ecology Center at 2024 McCormick Blvd. or the Evanston Public Library at 1703 Orrington Ave.

More information about both programs is available by calling 311 from within Evanston.