DPW Provides Residents with Two Convenient Options for Recycling Their Christmas Trees

-Information provided by the Department of Public Works (DPW):

With the holiday season coming to a close, thousands of DC residents will be looking for an environmentally friendly way to dispose of their holiday trees and greenery. The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) is pleased to provide District residents with two easy options for having their holiday trees and greenery recycled (no artificial trees).

“Under Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the District has set the goal of diverting 80% of our city’s waste from landfills and waste-to-energy facilities,” said DPW Director Christopher Shorter. “Providing residents with convenient ways to compost their Christmas trees and holiday greenery is just one of the many ways we’re working to make DC a cleaner and greener city.”

The first option is for residents to bring their trees and greenery, free of charge, to either of the District’s transfer stations. The Fort Totten Transfer Station is located at 4900 John F. McCormack Drive, NE, and the Benning Road Transfer Station is located at 3200 Benning Road, NE.

The second option, also free of charge, is for residents to put their trees and greenery out where their trash and recyclables are normally collected between January 14 and February 2. Trees placed out after February 2 will be picked up as space in our trucks permit, but will not be composted. This collection service is only available to residents who are serviced by DPW. DPW collects trash and recyclables from single-family homes and apartment/condo buildings with three or fewer living units.

Regardless of which option residents choose, all ornaments and lights should be removed from the tree. Residents are also asked not to bag their trees or greenery.

As a reminder, DPW provides DC residents with up to five 32-gallon bags (bring your own bags) of free compost weekdays, 1 pm to 5 pm, and Saturdays 8 am to 3 pm, at the Fort Totten Transfer Station.