Madison County offers 31 Christmas Tree Recycling drop-off sites
By Devese “Dee” Ursery
MADISON COUNTY — If you are one who likes tradition and goes with a live Christmas Tree during the Christmas Season, Madison County has a place for you to recycle them when the holiday is over.
Madison County has been hosting its Christmas Tree recycling program, where trees will be accepted from Dec. 26 through Jan. 14, 2024. The County’s Building and Zoning Department in conjunction with townships and municipalities will be providing 31 drop-off sites for residents to dispose of their Christmas trees. All lights and ornaments must be removed prior to drop-off. Pine wreaths, pine roping, or other landscape waste is prohibited, according to the Madison County website.
The Christmas Tree Recycling Program has operated successfully for the past 27 years in Madison County. The recycled trees are chipped into mulch and used in public gardens and parks across the community, according to Madison County”s Building and Zoning Administrator Chris Doucleff.
“Rather than toss the tree in the trash, take it to a recycling location,” Doucleff said.
There are drop-off sites all throughout Madison County, including two sites in Collinsville: Willoughby Farm at 631 Willoughby Lane and Woodland Park at 2 Pine Lake road in Fletcher Field parking lot. Curbside pick-up is not available at either drop-off site. Another drop-off site is at Collinsville Township Road District at 1407 North Bluff Road. Curbside pick-up is available for this location, but only for unincorporated Collinsville Township.
Another drop-off location is in Glen Carbon at the new fire station across from Casey’s located at 199 South Main St. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Troy and St. Jacob have sites at Tri-Township Park located at 410 Wickliffe Street and the Township Highway Department located at 10048 Ellis Road. Neither one of these drop-off sites has curbside availability.
The Village of Maryville has curbside pick-up only for its residents. They would have to call (618) 345-7028 ext. 2326 or email [email protected] to request pickup. Only trees will be picked up, charges will be applied for limbs and yard waste.
To find other drop sites visit madisoncountyil.gov and hit the Building and Zoning tab and scroll down to Christmas Tree Recycling Collection.
Building and Zoning created a downloadable guide, which shows what holiday items can and cannot be placed in single-stream recycling. Other common holiday items such as burnt-out light strands, plastic bags, bubble wrap and plastic air pillows are recyclable, but not in your single-stream bin. These can be dropped off at recycling bins found at many local stores.
