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

Scroll down this page for local Rhode Island 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!

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

• In most towns and cities in Rhode Island, Christmas tree pickups are scheduled in January (the dates announced annually, usually right after New Year's day) on your regular trash pickup day. For your specific city or town, see the list below, and the contact phone numbers. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and stands.

• Providence:

  Christmas Tree Pickup January (Monday of the first full week in January to the last Friday in January on your collection day)
  The City of Providence is also reminding residents of the proper way to dispose of their Christmas trees after the holiday season. The City will begin free curbside pickup of Christmas trees beginning early January. The trees will be collected by Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and turned into compost, a natural fertilizer that enriches soil and helps produce healthy plants and trees. Residents are urged to take the following steps to ensure that their tree will be picked up:
  Place trees at the curb on regular trash collection days
  All ornaments, tinsel, lights and tree stands must be removed from trees
  Do not place trees in any type of bag
  For more information, click here or contact the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services at 401-421-2489.

• E-wastes: Drop off at the Rhode Island Recycling Center. Items accepted include televisions, computer monitors, computers, laptops and tablets ONLY. 
  ​NOTE: This is a state electronic waste collection site, which means any Rhode Island resident can recycle the above items here.

• Other cities and towns:

  If you have a question about your community's recycling, trash, or leaf and yard waste collections, or if you need to obtain recycling bins, please contact the Department of Public Works in your city or town. They can answer questions specific to your town's program, such as your town's Christmas tree recycling dates, local e-Waste recycling availability, or special recycling events. Of course, this refers to real, not artificial trees, and you must remove all decorations, lights, the stand, etc.

  City/Town	Telephone	Guidance
  Barrington	247-1907	Place curbside on your regular collection day during the first 3 weeks of January.
  Bristol	253-4100	Christmas Trees will be collected on the same days as resident's trash days starting on after Christmas in  December and ending on a Friday in mid-January, usually around the 13th to 16th. The city only updates their website sporadically.  Place trees curbside by 6:00 am on your regular rubbish collection day. Trees must have all tree stands, lights, ornaments, and tree bags removed. Any residents needing to have a tree or yard waste removed after these dates are asked to call the Water Pollution Control Department at 401-253-8877 by 3:30PM on Thursdays to be placed on the Friday pick-up list for that week.
  Burrillville	568-4440 Ext. 12	The Town of Burrillville DOES NOT collect Christmas Trees curbside. Please do not place trees curbside with your weekly trash and recycling.. Holiday Trees must be brought to the Whipple Avenue Compost Facility. Please bring your Christmas trees to the Whipple Ave Recycling & Compost Facility on the 1st and 2nd Wednesdays and Saturdays of January. Residents are welcome to recycle other items accepted at the Whipple Ave Recycling & Compost Facility during the Christmas Tree drop off dates. Residents are reminded that Christmas trees with ornaments, tinsel, or trees in plastic bags will NOT be accepted. All trees MUST be cleaned free of all items prior to disposal.
  Central Falls	727-746627-7466	Residents are free to bring unlisted large waste items to the Pawtucket Transfer Station or to the RI Central Landfill. Relevant charges will apply. Pawtucket Transfer Station 240 Grotto Ave Pawtucket, RI (401) 569-3977 (link herRI Central Landfill 65 Shun Pike Johnston, RI 02919 (401) 942-1430 (link here)
  Charlestown	364-123064-1230	Drop off at CRCC. 50 Sand Hill Road, Charlestown. Hours: Mon., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 8am-4pm. Residential stickers are required, $20 fee per year. Bag tags are $15.00 per sheet ($3.00 each/sold as a sheet of 5).
  Coventry	822-9110	Christmas Trees are collected each January and must be placed curbside void of any plastic or ornaments.
  Cranston	780-317580-3175	Collected separately on your regular trash day for the first two weeks in January. Trees must be free of decoration including tinsel, garland, tree stand or other non-recyclable ornamentation. Please, no plastic tree bags.
  Cumberland	728-2400 Ext. 155	Christmas Trees: Trees and wreaths are not collected curbside and will not be accepted as trash. But they can be dropped off at the following locations after Christmas through the month of January. Real trees and wreaths shall be free of tinsel, ornaments, wire or bags, and can be dropped off for composting at: Tucker Field (2600 Mendon Rd) Northern Garage (66 Nate Whipple Hwy.) Pascale Highway Facility (17 Old Mendon Rd) from 8 AM- 2 PM.
  East Greenwicheenwich	886-8618	Put Christmas Trees curbside on your regular collection day during the scheduled weeks of January (see Collection Calendar on the DPW's website for the schedule), or drop off at the Transfer Station. The East Greenwich Transfer Station is located on Crompton Avenue between the Town Boat Ramp and the Sewage Treatment Plant. Regular Hours: Saturdays, 8 A.M to 4 P.M
  East Providence	For questions or more information, please contact DPW Program Coordinator, nator, (401) 435-7701	During the 2nd and 3rd weeks in January at the following locations: - Agawam Field - Hull St. Playground - Pierce Field - Central Ave Playground - Silver Spring Playground - Kent Field - Riverside Rec Field - Grassy Plain Park - Sabin Point Park - Carousel Parking Lot
  Exeter	295-1983 150	Christmas trees may be dropped off at the Exeter RI Transfer Station January through April.
  Foster	Rambone Disposal: (401) 946-1360	There seems to be no information online! Call! online! Call!
  Glocester	568-5540	Drop off at Transfer Station during the month of January. Transfer Station, 121 Chestnut Hill Road, Chepachet, RI 02814. Phone: 401-568-1130. A visible Resident Sticker is required on all vehicles.
  Hopkinton	377-7790	Hopkinton residents can utilize the Town of Westerly's facilities, or the Town of Richmond's . See those cities in the list here. Both of these options have applicable fees
  Jamestown	423-7220	Drop off at the Transfer Station December through March, 1218 North Road, Jamestown. Hours: Thurs.-Mon. 8:30-3:30 (Closed Tues. & Wed.) Phone: 423-1067. Available to residents with the purchase of a sticker, provided upon proof of residency at the Transfer Station.
  Johnston	231-4135	Picked up curbside on your regular collection day from December 26 to mid-January
  Lincoln	333-8424	Collected curbside as needed. Presumably, put them at the curb anytime during January (undecorated)
  Little Compton	635-4400	Drop off at the Little Compton Transf, 122 Amy Hart Path, Little Compton. in December and January.
  Middletown	824-6136	For PAYT users, Christmas trees are collected during one week in January (usually the second full week of January). Be sure to leave a trash or recycling cart with the user fee sticker on the curb (this helps the driver of the yard waste truck identify residents using the PAYT program). Collection is on residents' regular collection day.
  Narragansett	782-0635	Residents of South Kingstown and Narragansett may dispose of their Christmas Trees at no charge at the Rose Hill Regional Transfer Station from the end of December through the last week in January. Please remove all ornaments and tinsel prior to disposal.
  Newport	845-5613	Christmas trees are collected during one week in the month of January on your scheduled collection day. Trees will be picked up during the mid January pickup along with yard waste. Please plan accordingly with your tree, as there will not be another yard waste collection until the 2nd week of March . You can also drop them off at Transfer Station, free of charge.
  New Shoreham	466-3203	Drop off free of charge at new-shoreham Transfer Station the New Shoreham Transfer Station, 4 West Beach Rd., New Shoreham. Hours: 7am- 1:30pm; Summer: open Sun.-Wed., Fri. & Sat. (closed Thursdays); Winter: open Wed., Sat., Sun. Contact: 466-3234 or 234 or visit the Block Island Recycli.
  North Kingstown	268-1500 Ext. 601-1500 Ext. 601	Residents of South Kingstown and Narragansett may dispose of their Christmas Trees at no charge at the Rose Hill Regional Transfer Station from the end of December through the last week in January. Please remove all ornaments and tinsel prior to disposal.
  North Providence	232-0900 Ext. 233	Discarded trees can be left at curbside and will be collected during normal weekly trash removal, no plastic tree bags please.
  North Smithfield	767-2200 Ext. 345	Picked up curbside seasonally, generally during the two weeks after Christmas. See North Smithfield, RI website for specific program. Or, drop off at the North Smithfield, RI Recycle Center during hours of operation:
  Pawtucket	728-0500 Ext. 213	Place curbside on your regular collection day during the month of January, or drop off at the Pawtucket Transfer Station 305 Hedly Street, Portsmouth, RI 02871. Contact 401-293-5865. (fees may apply; call for pricing).
  Portsmouth	643-0359	Picked up curbside in January OR drop off at Department of Public Works.
  Providence	401-421-2489.	free, curbside pick-up of Christmas trees will take place from Monday after New Year's Day through Friday of the 3rd week of January on regularly scheduled trash pickup days. All trees collected by the City will be delivered to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and recycled into compost. Any Providence resident wishing to take advantage of this free service must place their tree at their curb on the day of the week that trash and recycling pick-up is normally provided in their neighborhood. Trees must be free of all contaminants, such as garland, tinsel, lights, ornaments and should not be placed in a bag.
  Richmond	539-8474	Drop off at the Richmond, RI Transfer Station during the month of January.
  Scituate	647-3366	There is Nada, Zippo, Bupkus on their website about what to do with xmas trees. You'll have to call them. Department of Public Works (DPW Yard): 1 Lincoln Circle, North Scituate. Drop-off hours for specific items below: Sat. 8:30am-12pm. Contact: DPW 647-3366 (residents can call Monday to Friday from 7am-3:30pm) or see Scituate DPW website.
  Smithfield	233-1034	Christmas tree pickups are generally scheduled during the second week of January (dates announced annually) on your regular trash pickup day. Please remove all ornaments, decorations, tinsel and stands.
  South Kingstown	789-9331 Ext. 2259	Residents of South Kingstown and Narragansett may dispose of their Christmas Trees at no charge at the Rose Hill Regional Transfer Station each year from the end of December through the last week in January. Please remove all ornaments and tinsel prior to disposal. Click here for a flyer on Christmas Tree recycling.
  Tiverton	625-6760	Christmas trees (natural only) will be collected on your regular trash day from Monday after New Year's day through Friday, mid- January. Please place at curbside and remove lights, ornaments and tree stands. These dates may be adjusted based on weather.
  Warren	245-0200	Place curbside on your regular collection day during the first three weeks of January, or drop off at the Warren, RI Transfer Station.
  Warwick	738-2000 Ext. 6513	Real Christmas trees are picked up curbside the first two weeks of January (weather permitting). OR drop off at Municipal Recycling & Compost Facility.
  Westerly	348-2539	Christmas tree collection will start the first week of the new year and will continue until the end of January. They must be placed curbside no later than 7:00 AM. Please remove all artificial decorations such as tinsel, garland, plastic ornaments, lights, and bulbs. Please do not put trees in plastic bags, and please no artificial trees. OR Drop off at the Westerly, RI Transfer Station for a fee of $100/ton for brush, or free during the month of January. 39 Larry Hirsch Lane, Westerly. Hours: Mon.-Sat. 7:30-3:30. Closed on Sundays and most holidays. Phone: 348-2557
  West Greenwich	397-6110	Drop off at the Transfer Station during the month of January.
  West Warwick	822-9225	Christmas Tree Collection: Christmas trees will be collected on your regular collection day on a SEPARATE collection. They must be placed curbside no later than 7 am. Please remove all artificial decorations such as tinsel, garland, plastic ornaments, lights, and bulbs. Please do not put trees in plastic bags, and please no artificial trees.
  Woonsocket	767-8880	Curbside pickup for discarded Christmas trees will be available on normally scheduled trash pick-up days during the first 2 weeks in January.

  
  
  

For Easter egg Hunts, Children's Consignment Sales, Local Farm Markets and other types of Farms, click here.