Houston-area residents can recycle real Christmas trees at multiple locations through end of January

Happy New Year, Houstonians. Do you still have a real, live tree from the Christmas holiday and no idea what to do with it?

The city’s Solid Waste Management Department is encouraging residents to recycle their Christmas trees – either by leaving them at their curbs on their usual tree waste collection days or by utilizing one of 24 drop-off locations across the Houston region. Each of the drop-off sites will collect trees through Jan. 31, according to information on the department’s website.

Twelve of the drop-off locations are operated by Living Earth, a Houston-based company that recycles yard waste collected by the city by turning it into mulch, compost and other landscaping materials.

“We really think the City of Houston does a fantastic job in having this recycling program, to where that material gets brought every other month to a Living Earth as opposed to a landfill or other means of disposal,” said Brent McWaters, Living Earth’s general manager and vice president of operations.

The following is a list of all the Christmas tree collection sites, organized by their hours and days of operation, according to the Solid Waste Management Department, which says no flocked, painted or artificial trees will be accepted. Also prohibited are tree stands, plastic bags and decorations such as garland, light strands, ornaments and tinsel.

Open daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Doss Park, 2500 Frick Rd. (closes at 5 p.m.)
• Ellington Airport/Clear Lake Neighborhood Recycling Center, 246 Loop Rd.
• Kingwood Branch Library, 4400 Bens View Ln.
• Memorial Park, at the softball parking lot adjacent to Valle-Asche Playground
• T.C. Jester Park, 4200 West T.C. Jester Blvd.

Open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday

• Westpark Consumer Recycling Center, 5900 Westpark Dr. (closed Jan. 16)

Open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday

• Central Neighborhood Depository, 2240 Central St.
• Kirkpatrick Neighborhood Depository, 5565 Kirkpatrick St.
• North Main Neighborhood Depository, 9003 N. Main St.
• Sommermeyer Neighborhood Depository, 14400 Sommermeyer St.
• Southwest Neighborhood Depository, 10785 Southwest Fwy.
• Sunbeam Neighborhood Depository, 5100 Sunbeam St.

Living Earth Locations (open from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m.-noon Saturday)

• Beaumont Highway, 10310 Beaumont Hwy.
• Crawford Road, 5802 Crawford Rd.
• Houston-Cutten Road, 12202 Cutten Rd.
• Iowa Colony, 16138 Hwy. 6 in Arcola
• Katy West, 27733 Katy Fwy.
• Lake Jackson, 9306 FM 523 in Freeport
• League City, 1000 Dickinson Ave. in Dickinson
• Missouri City, 1503 Industrial Dr. in Missouri City
• New Caney, 20611 U.S. 59 in New Caney
• Richmond, 1700 Highway 90A East in Richmond
• South Beltway, 5210 S. Sam Houston Pkwy.
• The Woodlands/Conroe, 17555 I-45 South in Conroe