AUSTIN, TEXAS – Once our natural holiday trees have been taken down and stripped of their decorations; they have a new purpose! City of Austin residents can give their real trees a second life by recycling them into mulch or compost. Annually, holiday tree recycling keeps nearly 20,000 trees out of area landfills, contributing to the City’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2040.

For City of Austin curbside customers, recycling a holiday tree is as easy as setting it on the curb. Beginning December 26, 2021, Austin Resource Recovery will pick up all-natural trees, along with yard trimmings, on regularly scheduled collection days. All trees for curbside collection that are six feet or taller must be cut in half. Please set your tree at the curb by 6:30 a.m.

All residents, including those without City of Austin curbside service, can do a contactless drop-off of their trees at the Zilker Park Polo Fields between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the following days:

• Sunday, January 2, 2022
• Saturday, January 8, 2022
• Sunday, January 9, 2022

Residents should use the following guidelines when recycling their trees:

• Trees sprayed with flocking, or artificial snow are not accepted
• Remove all ornaments, tinsel, decorations, lights, and the tree stand
• Do not place trees in plastic bags
• Only natural trees may be recycled

For a list of alternative drop-off locations provided by Travis County or businesses that take natural trees, visit austintexas.gov/treerecycling. Trees collected at Zilker Park will be turned into mulch and available for free on a first-come, first-served basis beginning January 12 at 9 a.m. (date and time subject to change due to weather).

Media is invited to record b-roll at the Zilker drop-off; however, we request that interviews be scheduled virtually for staff safety. See below for staff availability for interviews.
 
MEDIA CONTACT:                    
Alyssa Armstrong, Austin Resource Recovery, 512-974-4322
 
WHEN AND WHERE:              
Saturday, January 8, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Zilker Park
       
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES/VISUALS:   

• City of Austin staff video interview.
• City of Austin staff directing traffic or monitoring tree drop off.
• Residents dropping off their trees for recycling.
• Provided photos of the tree lifecycle and mulching process.

For more information about Holiday Tree Recycling and the availability of mulch, visit austintexas.gov/treerecycling.

About Austin Resource Recovery
Austin Resource Recovery provides a wide range of services designed to transform waste into resources while keeping our community clean. Services include curbside collection of recycling, trash, yard trimmings and large brush and bulk items; street sweeping; dead animal collection; household hazardous waste disposal and recycling; and outreach and education. Austin Resource Recovery offers free, voluntary and confidential consulting services to help Austin businesses reduce waste and comply with the City’s recycling ordinances. In December 2011, the Austin City Council approved the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan, which is the City’s road map to Zero Waste. The City of Austin is committed to reducing the amount of waste sent to area landfills by 90 percent by 2040. Learn more at austinrecycles.com.
 

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