The Christmas tree comes down, and then there's the question of what to actually do with it. Real trees have a few good options that don't involve cutting it into trash-bag-sized pieces. Artificial trees being retired are a different question. Here's the practical guide.
Real trees: the easy options
Most southern NH towns make real Christmas tree disposal pretty painless in the first two weeks of January.
Option 1: Town curbside tree pickup. Most NH towns run a tree-specific pickup during the first two weeks of January. The tree goes at the curb on your scheduled trash day, no bag, no wrapping. Lights and ornaments removed. Check your town's website for the exact pickup window.
Option 2: Transfer station drop-off. Every NH transfer station we know of accepts real trees free of charge during January. Toss it in the back of a truck or strap it to the roof and drive over.
Option 3: Chipping events. Some towns and local landscape companies run public tree chipping days where you drop off the tree and they grind it into mulch. Worth checking if your town does this; the mulch sometimes comes back as free yard waste mulch in spring.
Option 4: Compost in your own yard. If you have a spot for it, a Christmas tree breaks down in a compost pile over a year or two. Some people just toss it in the woods at the back of a wooded lot. Either works as long as it's your property and your town doesn't restrict it.
Prep work for tree disposal
A few things that have to come off the tree before disposal:
- Lights (all of them, even the broken strands)
- Ornaments and tinsel
- Plastic snow flocking, if you used it
- The tree stand (it's reusable)
- Any wires or hangers
Tinsel and flocking residue can clog the chipper at the transfer station and gets the tree rejected from curbside pickup. A few minutes of clean-up before the tree goes out saves a complication.
When the tree won't fit anywhere
The two scenarios where the easy options don't work:
Scenario 1: You have an unusually large tree. An 11-foot tree from a cathedral-ceiling living room won't go on the roof of a sedan. Most curbside pickup accepts it (the truck has space), but transporting it yourself is a problem. A pickup truck makes this easy.
Scenario 2: You're past the early January pickup window. Some homeowners take the tree down in February or March because they like the lights through January. By then, most town tree pickup has ended.
For both, the option is:
- Cut it into 4-foot sections and bag it for regular trash (the regular trash crew won't take a full tree past pickup season)
- Drop it at the transfer station as bulky yard waste (still accepted in most cases, sometimes with a small fee past tree season)
- A single-item pickup with us. We can take a tree as part of a larger pickup or as the only item.
Artificial trees being retired
A different question entirely. Old artificial trees are bulky and don't break down. They're either trash or single-item pickup material depending on size.
A 6-foot artificial tree in pieces (the standard 3-section design) usually fits in a single trash bin or two. A pre-lit one with the lights woven into the branches is harder because the wiring should be separated.
For a single old tree, the curbside trash option works in most NH towns. For a tree plus old wreaths plus old garlands plus old decor (the full post-decade decoration retirement), a single-item pickup or a small dumpster rental handles it cleanly.
What about garlands and wreaths
Real garlands and wreaths follow the same disposal pattern as real trees. Curbside tree pickup usually accepts them. Transfer stations definitely do.
Artificial wreaths and garlands go in regular trash if they fit. Most do.
Tree stands and lights
A few decoration adjacent items:
- Tree stands. Reusable. Don't throw them out unless they're broken.
- Old Christmas lights. Some hardware stores accept old strands for copper recycling. Otherwise, regular trash. They contain a small amount of copper but not enough to warrant specialty disposal.
- Tree skirts and decorative wraps. Regular trash if they're past use.
When this turns into a cleanout
Sometimes the post-holiday cleanup turns into a bigger project. The tree comes down, then the decoration boxes get sorted, then the closet gets sorted, then the basement gets sorted. By the second weekend in January, you've got a pile of stuff that doesn't fit in regular pickup.
If that happens, see our post-holiday cleanout post. The sizing math for a small post-holiday reset is usually a 10 or 15-yard tier dumpster or a truckload visit.
The simple rule
Real tree: curbside in the first two weeks of January, no bag, lights off. Artificial tree being retired: regular trash if it fits, otherwise single-item pickup. Past the pickup window: transfer station or single-item pickup.
Most January tree disposals are free or near-free. Just hit the timing window.
The booking call
If you need help with a tree disposal plus other post-holiday cleanup, the booking call covers the scope:
- What's going (tree only? tree plus other items?)
- Address
- Timing
Text 603-634-9947 with a photo of the tree if it's the one big thing going.
Call 603-634-9947 to schedule a pickup if the curbside option isn't going to work.