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

Scroll down this page for local Nova Scotia 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!

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

Local municipality tree recycling Information

Many communities conduct chipping programs. Some coastal communities use trees at nearby beaches to reduce sand and soil erosion.

• Amherst - curbside collection
  Phone: 902-667-3352. The Town will provide door-to-door pickup of Christmas trees during a 1 week period as noted on the collection schedule. A special collection of leaves, brush and branches will also take place during a 2 week period each spring and fall. Brush and tree branches shall be bundled in bundles not exceeding 1.5 m in length or 25 kg in weight and individual limbs shall have a diameter not exceeding 5 cm in diameter when placed for regular collection.
• Digby - There's nothing on their website yet, you'll have to call them.
• Halifax - Curbside collection
  Set your tree out early (or the night before) on green waste day! Natural Christmas trees will be picked up on your regular green cart collection day/week. Remove all plastic, tinsel, ornaments, metal rings, nails, stands and plastic tree bags.
• Lunenburg - curbside collection
  Typically, trees are collected curbside each year during the second and third week in January. Follow the link and see the current year's collection calendar.
• Valley Waste - Region 5. You can also cut the tree in 4ft. lengths, bundle it and set it out as brush for regular collection, or put it out for Spring Clean-up..
  Management Centres - Drop your tree off, free of charge, throughout the month of January.
  Annapolis Royal - Town residents can place trees at curbside for collection by the Town of Annapolis Royal.
  Berwick - Residents can drop trees off at the Public Works site during regular operating hours or staff will pick them up from roadside during January.
  Kentville - The Kinsmen Club will collect trees in Kentville on Saturday in early January as a fundraiser for charity. For the date and details, call 902-678-6937.
  Middleton - Town residents can drop off trees the first week in January from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, at the site on the west side of Brooklyn Road. Call the Town office for details.
  Wolfville - Christmas tree collection will run typically the first 2 weeks in January and residents are to set trees at the curb by January 3 at the earliest. Trees can also be dropped off at the Maple Avenue Compost Site just outside the gate ssuring the first 2 weeks in January.
  

 

If you don't see your area above; try contacting your regional recycling centre:

Region 1: Cape Breton

• Cape Breton Regional Municipality
• Inverness
• Victoria
• Richmond | Port Hawkesbury

Region 2: Eastern

• Municipality of the District of Guysborough
• Municipality of the County of Antigonish
• Municipality of the Town of Antigonish
• Pictou County

Region 3: Northern

• The Municipality of the County of Colchester
• Cumberland Joint Services Management Authority
• The Municipality of East Hants

Region 4: Halifax

• Halifax Regional Municipality

Region 5: Valley

Valley Waste Resource Management includes the following municipalities:

• Annapolis
• Kings
• Berwick
• Bridgetown
• Hantsport
• Kentville
• Middleton
• Wolfville

Region 6: South Shore/West Hants

Includes the following towns:

• Barrington
• Bridgewater
• Lockeport
• Lunenburg
• Mahone Bay
• Shelburne
• Windsor

Also included are the following municipality districts:

• West Hants
• Chester
• Lunenburg
• Queens Region
• Shelburne

Region 7: Western

• Town and County of Digby, Clare, Argyle, Town of Yarmouth, District of Yarmouth, Clark's Harbour

 

I'm working on this now! If you have any links to city or other local Christmas tree recycling, curbside pickup, etc., please let me know! 

Click here to write to me!

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