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

Scroll down this page for local Nebraska 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!

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

• Beatrice, Nebraska
  Recycle Your Christmas Tree! Christmas Trees may be recycled between December 26 and January 31 of each year at the fenced in location at 1 st & Ella. Please remove ornaments, wooden stands and plastic bags.
  Each year, citizens of Beatrice and Gage County recycle approximately 500 trees. The trees are chipped and used as mulch for trees located in the City parks.
  
• LaVista, Nebraska
  Click here for a map of the Christmas Tree Recycling Locations.
  The City of La Vista has two tree recycling locations:
  La Vista Soccer Complex parking lot
  Kelly West parking lot
  These sites will be open December 27 through mid-Januaryfrom 8 am to 5 pm. daily.
  Trees collected will be chipped into mulch, which is available to residents free of charge.
  
• Lincoln, NE
  Open Christmas Day to mid-January/ Take your tree to one of seven Christmas tree recycling sites in Lincoln. Christmas tree wood chip mulch can be obtained at no charge at Hofeling Enterprises Inc., 2200 Folsom Court, on a first come first serve basis. Recycling your Christmas tree will save space in Lincoln's landfill. Recycling Reminders: At the site, remove plastic bags and put them in nearby trash cans. Make sure all nails, wires and tree stands are removed.
  For more information call 402-441-7847
  North
  Ballard Park
  (3901 N. 66th Street)
  Oak Lake Park
  (South of Cornhusker Hwy. 3 blocks on 1st Street)
  University Place Park
  (50th & Garland)
  South
  Holmes Lake Park
  (parking lot west of north softball field)
  Hofeling Enterprises
  (2200 S. Folsom Court)
  Tierra Park
  (29th & Tierra Drive)
  Woods Park
  (31st and 'J' Street, SE corner of lot)
  Also Boy Scout Troop 8 offers a service to pick up trees and transport them to a City drop-off site. Pick up dates are January 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10. Trees should be placed on the front lawn by 9 a.m. The service is free, but donations are appreciated. To schedule a pickup, contact Troop 8 at www.scouting4trees.org or 402-965-1458.
  
  Residents also can contact their refuse haulers regarding tree collection.
  
• Omaha, Nebraska
  Christmas trees must be prepared according to the yardwaste collection regulations to be collected as a part of your Omaha solid waste collection service. For instructions about yardwaste preparation, click here . Please remove: Nails, Wires, Ornaments, Tree stand, Plastic bags (please take bags home and dispose with garbage), Lights (Recycling opportunity for these, click here), Wreathes and evergreen roping will not be accepted. Flocked trees are ok. Thank you for making Christmas Tree recycling part of your holiday tradition. Share the Christmas spirit and ask a neighbor if you can help them get their tree to a recycling site.
  You may begin using the sites on December 24. The sites are open daily during daylight hours. Assistance from volunteers is available at select sites and only on the days listed.
  Drop off ends for most in mid-January.
  For a map of the Christmas Tree collection sites and current end dates, click here . Clicking on the addresses below will open up a Google map
  

  1. Tranquility Park -
     120th Street & West Maple Road . North lot of soccer complex. Volunteers from the Rotary Clubs of Omaha, and the Douglas-Sarpy Master Gardeners will staff the Tranquility Park and F Street Football Field sites listed below to help you unload your tree from 10AM until 4PM each day. These sites close in early January, around January 6th, see their website. Do not deliver trees after this date. Doing so is illegal dumping and punishable by a fine of up to $500, loss of drivers license for 6 months and all clean up costs. Please throw your tree up on the pile. This will leave room for others to access the site.

  2. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium -
     Northwest corner of parking lot, near intersection of Bob Gibson Drive and South 13th Street. .

  3. Orchard Park -
     66th Street North of Hartman Ave . 57 blocks North of Dodge Street.

  4. F Street Football Field -
     F Street East of 156th Street . Parking lot east of field. Volunteers from the Rotary Clubs of Omaha, and the Douglas-Sarpy Master Gardeners will staff the Tranquility Park and F Street Football Field sites listed below to help you unload your tree from 10AM until 4PM each day. Do not deliver trees after this date. Doing so is illegal dumping and punishable by a fine of up to $500, loss of drivers license for 6 months and all clean up costs. Please throw your tree up on the pile. This will leave room for others to access the site

  5. Ta Ha Zouka Park -
     20801 Elkhorn Drive . Parking lot behind the Chamber of Commerce.

  6. Kelly West Park - Until imid-January
     87th Street & Park View Boulevard.

  7. Wehrspann Lake -
     Highway 370, between I-80 and 168th Street . Wildlife Management Area south parking lot.

  8. Bellevue Old Sarpy County Landfill - Until mid-January
     8902 Cedar Island Road

  9. Papillion Senior Center -
     1001 Limerick Road

  10. Papio Bay -
      814 East Halleck Street

  11. LaVista Sports Complex - Until mid-January
      7346 S. 66th Street, 2 blocks South of Harrison Street

  12. Hughes Mulch Products
      3211 Keystone Drive . This site open 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday Only

  13. Walnut Creek Connector Trail -
      Schram Road and Creek Side Drive (west of 96th Street)
      
  14. Pierson/Orval Ballfields -
      Woodlawn Avenue and Park Drive
      
      
• Sarpy County, Nebraska
  Christmas Tree Recycling. Christmas tree collection sites will be opened during daylight hours starting on December 27th through mid-January. See locations above under Omaha.
  
  

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