How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree, Busted Lights

Park your Christmas tree curbside this winter with free tree recycling from the city of Glendale and Los Angeles County. 

Locals who fall on the city of Glendale border, which includes Sparr Heights, Montrose and La Crescenta west of Pennsylvania Avenue, have the opportunity to recycle both Christmas trees and holiday lights.   

Glendale residents, including multi-family residents and businesses, can place Christmas trees curbside on Mondays before 7 a.m., starting Monday, Dec. 26 through mid-January. Officials ask you to remove all the ornaments, nails, buckets, bags and stands beforehand.  Trees more than 8 feet must also be cut in half. 

Each year, thousands of broken or unwanted lights are dumped into landfills, according to the Glendale Department of Public Works. Various city buildings will have cardboard recycling boxes to collect lights. To learn more about Glendale's Holiday Lights Recycling Program, contact Philippe Eskandar at (818) 551-3099. 

People who live in Los Angeles County - in unincorporated La Crescenta - also have the opportunity to recycle Christmas trees curbside from Monday, Dec. 26 through Monday, Jan. 16 according to the county's Public Works' Department.

Collected trees will be recycled into compost, mulch, or ground cover, which helps preserve natural resources and reduce waste, officials said. Residents can place trees curbside on regular trash collection days and must remove ornaments, tinsel and metal or plastic tree stands from the tree. Trees more than 6 feet tall should be cut in half. 

Locals who miss the curbside recycling days can cut trees into smaller pieces and place them in the green waste container. To learn more about the Los Angeles County Christmas tree recycling program, find tree collection sites and see city-specific tree recycling guidelines, visit the website or call 1-888-CLEANLA.  

Other recyclable holiday waste can go in recycling trash bins for both Los Angeles County and Glendale homes: 

• Gift wrap: including paper, cellophane, bubble wrap and tissue paper

• Gift bags: including paper, cardboard, card stock and plastic bags from #2 HDPE or #4 LDPE

• Toy packaging: hard plastic, twist ties, plastic clamshells (if separated from the paperboard portion)