Montana: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

Scroll down this page for local Montana recycling and responsible disposal options for holiday waste, from Christmas trees and wreathes, to lights, ornaments, wrapping and packaging. Many towns and cities offer curbside collection, even for Christmas trees. Counties and unicorporated areas typically have a number or drop-off locations.

Christmas trees are usually colllected from December 26th through the first 2 or 3 weeks in January.  Whether your tree is picked up from your curb, or you drop it off, be sure to remove all  remove all lights, wire, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands,  other NON-Organic decorative materials and other materials that are not part of the original tree. This includes tree stands also.  Flocked trees are occasionally accepted (call to verify), but not artificial trees. Large trees (larger than the standard 6 - 7 ft tree) may need to be cut in half to be acceptable by your curbside garbage hauler.

The trees and wreathes are usually chipped and made into a mulch which is often made available, free to city or county residents.

Recycling other items:

• See this page for local options to easily recycle your Christmas holiday lights
• To find out how to recycle almost any other type of Christmas holiday waste from wrapping paper to toys and electronics, see this page. Ornaments and light strings are usually placed into your curbside collection bin. Some localities have year-round collection centers. The same is true of wrapping paper and boxes. 

Always follow the links (usually the blue, underlined name of the city or county) below for updated information, as these agencies often wait until the last minute to change dates or update their information. If your area is not specifically mentioned below, call your trash collection agency and ask!

Montana: Where and How to Recycle Your Christmas Tree After the Holidays January 2024

• Billings, MT
  Annual Christmas Tree Recycling, from December 26 through late January, Christmas trees can be dropped off at several advertised sites throughout the Billings area for recycling.
  Golden Recycling, 1100 Sixth Ave. N.;
  ZooMontana, 2100 S. Shiloh Road;
  Hanser's Automotive, 430 S. Billings Blvd.; Schnitzer Steel
  Laurel Furniture Outlet, 220 W. Main St.
  Outside of Billings, there are also drop-off locations in Lockwood, Shepherd, Huntley and Laurel.
  The chipped trees are used for mulch and bedding material at ZooMontana, Area parks, Bike paths and Conservation centers.
  
• Bozeman, Montana
  As a courtesy service, the Forestry Division recycles post-holiday Christmas trees to be composted and used as organic cover at select sites. Trees will be recycled into a natural compost/mulch. Please remove ALL ornaments, lights, wire, twine, etc. Please DO NOT cut the tree into smaller pieces! Whole trees are more easily managed by our equipment. Wreaths and garlands are not accepted. We cannot chip this material for mulch. Please dispose of these items properly.
  This is a service for Bozeman residents, NOT for commercial disposal of leftover inventory.
  (Westlake BMX Park is no longer a drop-off site)
  Gallatin County Regional Park - Entrance on Oak St.
  Christie Fields (on Mason Street) - Entrance on E Mason St.
  Softball Complex (lower parking lot on Haggerty Lane) - Entrance on Haggerty Lane
  Please call us at 582-3225 if you have any questions or concerns.
  
  Republic Service will also take trees at the these locations, starting after Christmas:
  Cashman Nursey, 2055 Springhill Rd, Bozeman
  Republic Services, 8600 Huffine Ln, Bozeman
  Lewis & Clark Park, E Central Ave, Belgrade
  Big Sky Community Park, Meadow Village, Big Sky
  Gateway Market Exxon, 76250 Gallatin Rd, Gallatin Gateway
  Across the street from Sir Scotts Oasis, 204 W Main St, Manhattan
  Three Forks Rodeo Grounds, MT-2, Three Forks
  West Yellowstone City Hall, 440 Yellowstone Ave, West Yellowstone
  
  
• Great Falls, MT
  Recycle your live Christmas trees at the following locations from: December 26, through  early January2.
  1. Meadowlark Park - Fox Farm and Park Garden Road
  2. Malmstrom AFB - 600 block of Aspen Street. (Base residents only)
  Remove all decorations, tree stands etc., (no flocked trees).
  Deposit your "live Christmas trees only" in the container.
  Fill out the form from the top of the canister and put it in the canister slot so your name can be added to the seedling list. Limit of (1) seedling per residence. Please do not abuse this program or it may have to be discontinued. The trees are used to improve fish habitat or composted. This project is not for commercial tree disposal. The seedling pick up location and dates will be announced in April closer to Arbor Day. "Trees for a Greener Montana" is sponsored by: The City of Great Falls and Montana Waste Systems, Inc. If you have any questions, please call Public Works at 771-1401 or Montana Waste Systems at 761-2545.
  
• Kalispell, Montana
  The City Of Kalispell will pick up Christmas Trees beginning around January 2 (as usual there is nothing I - or anyone else - can find on their website). Place the trees at the street in the boulevard area. The city will either chip or dispose of the trees for a two week period. Volunteers will be picking up trees. Mid-January will be the last day for curb side pick up. Trees need to be free of ALL ornaments, stands, tinsel, garland or other items considered decoration and placed standing up in boulevards. Please no fake trees!
  Thank you for your assistance. For additional information call 758-7849
  
• Missoula, MT
  Missoula Parks and Recreation's Urban Forestry Division is inviting citizens to drop off their cut Christmas trees to be recycled into productive mulch. To recycle your tree, drop it off at one of these sites through mid-January
  Residents may drop off cut Christmas trees at three area parks and at Garden City Compost to be recycled into productive mulch and conserve valuable landfill space.
  Resident may drop their trees, sans stands and decorations, at
  Fort Missoula Regional Park West, 36th Avenue parking lot ONLY. Please do not leave yard waste or other refuse.
  Garden City Compost, 1125 Clark Fork Ln., weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm. Please drop organic materials only, and do not leave trees outside the gates at the compost facility.
  McCormick Park, 600 Cregg Ln.
  Playfair Park, 3001 Bancroft.
  Please remove tree stands and decorations from the tree and do not dump yard waste or garbage. If you'd like to support Christmas Ever-Green and help plant more trees throughout Missoula, please consider making a donation to Trees For Missoula. Donate online at the Friends of Missoula Parks website ( www.fmparks.org ), phone 721-PARK, stop by Currents Aquatics Center in McCormick Park, or mail donations to the Urban Forestry Division, 100 Hickory St., Missoula, 59801. To learn more about how you can support Missoula's urban forest, please visit www.treesformissoula.org. For more information, call 721-PARK.
  
  
  

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