County DEP accepting holiday greens, lights and cardboard for recycling

As the holiday season winds down, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reminds residents to recycle their live Christmas trees, wreaths, holiday lights and cardboard boxes to support the county’s sustainability goals and reduce waste. 

“Household waste increases by as much as 25% during the holiday season,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The simple act of recycling holiday trees, lights and packaging materials like cardboard boxes makes a big difference in reducing waste and supports our county’s climate action goals. As we celebrate with family and friends during the holidays, I urge all residents to also remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle.” 

Cardboard boxes:

Cardboard boxes, which are especially plentiful during the holiday season due to gift-giving and online shopping, must be recycled. After receiving packages, residents are asked to empty the boxes and place them in their mixed paper recycling bin or cart. Flattening boxes before recycling helps conserve space and ensures efficient collection. Please do not place cardboard or mixed paper into your blue recycling bin mixed with bottles, cans, jars and containers.  

Christmas tree recycling: 

DEP collects live trees, which are shredded and chipped into mulch. Trees can be placed out for yard trim recycling collection service on your regular recycling day.  

County-provided curbside collection (single-family homes and townhomes): 

• Live-cut Christmas trees and holiday greenery are accepted as yard trim. 
• For wreaths and garlands made with live branches, please remove all metal, ornaments and lights before placing them in either a reusable container with a yard trim decal or in a paper lawn bag for yard trim recycling collection. 
• Place items curbside by 7 a.m. on your regular recycling day. 
• Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel and any metal or plastic decorations. 
• Trees with root balls or intact roots cannot be collected as yard trim. 

Drop-off option: 

• Residents may bring holiday trees and greenery for recycling to the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station at 16105 Frederick Road in Derwood. 

Multi-family properties and businesses: 

• Residents of apartments and condominiums, and businesses, should contact their property manager or owner for specific recycling instructions. 

Artificial tree disposal: 

Artificial trees are not recyclable through Montgomery County’s curbside or drop-off recycling programs. If your artificial tree is still in usable condition, consider donating it to a local charity or organization, or sharing it through neighborhood listservs, Freecycle, or other reuse networks. 

For disposal: 

• Residents with county-provided trash service can schedule a bulk trash pickup online at montgomerycountymd.gov/bulktrash or by calling 311. 
• Residents with private trash service should contact their hauler or homeowner/community association for specific disposal instructions. 

“Properly disposing of Christmas trees is an easy but meaningful way for our community to support the county’s environmental efforts and start the new year with a focus on sustainability,” said DEP Director Jennifer Macedonia. “By recycling live trees and wreaths, we can transform them into valuable products like mulch that benefit the environment. I encourage everyone to recycle their holiday greens as a way to give back to the environment.” 

Holiday lights: 

In addition to greenery, residents are encouraged to recycle holiday light strings. 

• Lights can be dropped off at the electronics recycling area at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. 
• Lights can also be scheduled for curbside collection along with other electronic items and household batteries, as well as scrap metal items. Residents must call 311 to schedule a collection of electronic items and household batteries. Keeping these items out of regular trash and recycling bins helps prevent potential fire hazards.    

For more information on holiday recycling tips and year-round waste reduction efforts, visit the DEP website at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/trash-recycling.