PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — When it’s finally time to take down your Christmas tree, here’s how you can do it properly in Hampton Roads.
You can typically take your tree to the dump or leave it on your curb, depending on where you live, but there are also ways to recycle trees and even have them used to prevent beach erosion (that comes with pizza coupons too.)
First of all, if you would like to recycle them to help with beach erosion, Chicho’s pizza in Virginia Beach has been holding a drive for several years now. You can drop off your tree at VBN National Golf Club at 2500 Tournament Drive on January 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and get a coupon for a $7.99 large cheese pizza.
Chico’s has collected more than 2,500 trees per year in the past.
Here’s how tree collection breaks down locally. Don’t forget to remove all decorations beforehand.
Chesapeake
You can leave your tree on the curb for pickup, after removing ornaments, lights, etc. For more on Chesapeake pickup and recycling, click here.
Gloucester
You can take your tree to any Gloucester convenience center from Dec. 26 through the end of January to be mulched. You’re asked to remove all decorations.
Hampton
You can either leave your tree out for bulk trash collection on your designated collection day or take the tree to the yard waste site on North Park Drive. You’re asked to remove all decorations.
Isle of Wight
You can take your tree, free of decorations, to any of Isle of Wight’s eight refuse and recycling centers.
James City County
Trees can be recycled for free at county convenience centers at 117 Tewning Road, 1204 Jolly Pond Road and 185 Industrial Boulevard during normal hours. Remove all decorations beforehand.
Newport News
You can either place your tree curbside for bulk collection or bring your tree to the Recovery Operations Center at 520 Atkinson Way from Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Norfolk
Real trees can be left on the curb to picked up and turned into mulch on regular trash collection days. You can call Norfolk Cares Center at (757) 664-6510 to schedule pick up of an artificial tree, or take either real or fake trees to the Household Hazardous (HHW) and Electronic Waste Collection Center at 1176 Pineridge Road.
Poquoson
Drop off your real trees from Dec. 25 to Jan. 20, free of decorations, in the back, righthand corner of the municipal pool parking lot at 16 Municipal Drive.
Portsmouth
The city will pick up natural Christmas trees on your regularly scheduled trash collection day and they’ll be used as landfill cover. Place the tree curbside, free of decoration.
Smithfield
Smithfield said to contact Kathy Bew-Jones with the town’s public works department at 365-4200 or email her at kjones@smithfieldva.gov to coordinate free curbside pickup of real Christmas trees.
Suffolk
All Christmas trees and boxes placed on the curb from Dec. 28 to January 7 will be picked up and it won’t count as special collection. For more information, click here.
Virginia Beach
In addition to donations at Chicho’s and potentially other area businesses, you can also just leave your tree as regular yard waste on your normal collection day. Residents are asked not to place trees on beaches.
Williamsburg
Williamsburg had yet to announce dates for tree pickup. You can call their public works department for details after Christmas at 757-220-6140.
York County
York County had yet to announce dates for 2022. You can reach them here.