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, which contributes to the City's goal of reaching
zero waste by 2040.
For City of Austin
curbside customers, recycling holiday trees is as easy as setting it on the curb. Beginning Dec. 26, 2020, 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:
- Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021
- Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021
- Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021
- Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021
Residents should use the following guidelines when recycling their tree:
- 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 will be available for free on a first-come, first-served basis beginning January 14 at 9 a.m. (date and time subject to change).
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:
Ashley Pace, Austin Resource Recovery, 512-974-1855
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021, 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., Zilker Park
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, 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 ordinance. 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.
