Tree Recycling Available in Pierce County

From Pierce County Solid Waste

Make a New Year's resolution to help protect the environment by recycling your Christmas tree. Pierce County residents can recycle their discarded trees through the Public Works and Utilities department, various cities and towns and county-contracted private solid waste and recycling companies.

All trees collected through the self-haul and curbside yardwaste programs are composted into a beneficial soil amendment that is popular with home and commercial gardeners. Treecycling helps save valuable landfill space, while the composte created enhances soil quality, saves water and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers.

Pierce County residents who subscribe to yardwaste collection services can "treecycle" their unflocked tree curbside. Other residents can recycle trees free of charge at designated locations. Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must be disposed of as garbage.

Milton, Tacoma, Puyallup and Ruston have special collection programs for households within their limits. Contact the city or town hall or local garbage hauler for more details.

To recycle a tree in Pierce County, remove the tree stand, tinsel, decorations, garland, nails and staples.

to recycle curbside, cut the tree into 4 foot lengths or smaller and place loosely inside the yardwaste container. If it doesn't all fit, dispose of the peices over several weeks on the regularly scheduled yardwaste pick up days.

Self haulers can take their tree to any of the following locations;

• Anderson Island residential waste drop box, 9607 Steffenson Road, Sunday from 10a-2p and Monday from 1p-5p


• Hidden Valley transfer station, 17925 Meridian Street East near South Hill, 8a-5:45p, seven days a week


• Key Center residential waste drop box, 5900 Key Pen Hwy, between Key Center and Home, Wed-Sun, 9a-4:45p


• Prairie Ridge residential waste drop box, 11710 Prairie Ridge Dr between Bonney Lake and South Prairie, 9a-4:45p seven days a week


• Purdy transfer station, 14515 54th AVe NW north of Gig Harbor, 9a-4:45p seven days a week.

All facilities above will be closed on New Years Day. For additional drop-off sites, call the Public Works and Utilities 24-hour solid waste information line at (253) 798-4115 or go to www.piercecountywa.org/treecycle.

Treecycling - its the right thing to do.