When the time comes that you have to let your Christmas tree go, it’s easy and free to do, and even “pays it forward” — as Christmas trees are turned into mulch.
Dried out Christmas trees become increasingly flammable as days go by, so don’t hold onto it for too long.
Most towns and cities recycle Christmas trees for mulch, so recycling your tree is a way of “paying it forward.”
Read on for information on how to recycle Christmas trees in the Charlotte area. There are options for curbside pickup and drop-off at recycling centers.
Also, read on to learn about some farms that would love to receive your Christmas tree as a donation to feed their goats or pigs.
Just because we don’t include information for your town, city or county doesn’t mean that they don’t recycle Christmas trees. Make sure to check on your town’s recycling information if it’s not listed here.
City of Charlotte
If you are a City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services customer, just place your real Christmas tree curbside with other yard waste items. You can put your tree on the curb for collection starting January 5, 2026.
Make sure that your tree is free of any decoration. More information.
If you need to dispose of an artificial tree, schedule it for bulk item collection.
Cardboard collection:
- Cardboard goes into the recycling cart. It will not be picked up if it’s sitting outside the cart.
- It must be broken up into smaller pieces that will fit loosely in your recycling cart. Don’t fold it.
- If it won’t fit inside your cart, you need to take it to one of Mecklenburg County’s full-service facilities.
Mecklenburg County
You can drop off the following at full-service or staffed recycling centers:
- Christmas trees (without any decorations): Residents may drop off up to two natural Christmas trees at no cost. Residents can dispose of one artificial tree for free. Watch how Christmas trees are composted.
- Natural wreaths (without any decorations): These are considered yard waste.
- Plain wrapping paper and cards (no glitter or foil)
- Cardboard
- White rigid foam, commonly found in packaging for TVs and electronics
- Textiles, including clothing, shoes, accessories, pillows, sheets and towels
- Food scraps (free of packaging and containers): If it’s edible, it’s acceptable!
Mecklenburg County’s full-service drop-off centers:
Foxhole Recycling Center
17131 Lancaster Highway
Charlotte, NC 28277
North Mecklenburg Recycling Center
12300 N. Statesville Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
Hickory Grove Recycling Center
8007 Pence Road
Charlotte, NC 28215
Compost Central and Recycling Center
140 Valleydale Road
Charlotte, NC 28214
William R. Davie Staffed Recycling Center
4635 Pineville-Matthews Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
City of Concord
If you live in the City of Concord, you may place your live tree curbside with your regular yard waste. Please remove all ornaments, lights and stands. Artificial trees and wreaths should go curbside with your bulky trash. Announced on Facebook.
Other Cities and Counties
If you live in a different municipality, make sure to check with your solid waste services to see how to dispose of your Christmas tree. Many will ask you to just put your tree out, without any decoration, on your yard waste day.
Donate to Animals
Pigs and goats love Christmas trees! Check with your favorite farm to see if it’s accepting Christmas tree donations. We will update with a list of local farms that welcome tree donations as soon as we hear about them.
Also, the website PumpkinsForPigs has a database of farms that accept food donations for their animals. They list what items they accept, and some are looking for Christmas trees and wreaths too. Please make sure to get in touch with any farm you find on that list, to make sure that the information is up to date.
Here are some farms in the Charlotte area that are listed as accepting Christmas trees. Please find their contact information on the PumpkinsForPigs website.
- Brigman Barn, Cherryville
- Crystal’s Little Farm, Mooresville
- Darby Acres Farm, Charlotte, NC
- Gomez Goats, Monroe
A Note of Caution
What you put curbside might give potential burglars an idea of what new items are in your house, like televisions and game consoles. So, you might want to consider dropping those boxes off at one of the county’s full-service drop-off centers instead.
DeLauren says
This is super helpful info. Thanks!