You're not alone if you still have your Christmas decorations up, but if you're planning to take it all down this weekend, here's how you give it another life.
Starting today, you can recycle your tree at 27 city parks until January 17th so they can be turned into mulch. Only live and natural trees can be dropped off and they must be free of ornaments, lights, plastic bags, and tinsel. Wreaths and garlands will not be accepted.
The holiday trees are chipped to create mulch, then starting Monday, January 5th, you can pick up FREE mulch at 6 of the locations. Over 22,000 trees were recycled in 2025.
Also, Reduce Waste Chicago is collecting broken holiday string lights for recycling. You can drop off broken holiday string lights to recycle at 42 locations. Last year, Reduce Waste Chicago collected 4,618 pounds of lights.
You can find the nearest location for recycling trees or holiday lights at this link.
Community is about getting all the help we need and giving all the help we can!
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