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Compost Your Tree for Free

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) invites Seattle residents to compost their Christmas trees and other holiday greens for free through January 31, 2019. Residents should place trees or bundled greens next to their food and yard waste cart on their collection day. Apartment residents may place two trees next to each food and yard waste cart on each collection day. Trees must be cut into lengths of four feet or less and all decorations, lights, tinsel, and other decorations must be removed.

In addition to curbside collection, Seattle residents may drop off trees and other holidays greens for free at SPU’s north or south transfer stations through January 31. Stations will accept up to three trees per vehicle.

Composting Christmas trees is just the beginning when it comes to holiday recycling. Many common holiday items can be recycled or reused. Customers can find out how to cut down on the amount of holiday waste that ends up in the landfill by checking SPU’s Where Does It Go Tool: www.seattle.gov/util/myservices/wheredoesitgo.

NEW: SPU Recycle It App! Trouble remembering your collection day? SPU’s new Recycle It app helps customers look up their collection day, set reminders, sort items into the correct cart, and report solid waste service issues. Customers can download the app today by searching for Seattle Recycling and Garbage in the App Store or Google Play. More information at www.seattle.gov/recycleit.