Christmas Tree Recycling

Handling Instructions

Please remove all ornaments, tinsel and stands before recycling.

Trees with stands and flocked trees cannot be recycled and will not be accepted.

Please cut trees over 6 feet in half.

What happens to the trees?

South Coast

• Christmas trees collected by MarBorg Industries, as well as trees dropped off at the South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station, are ground into mulch. 

Santa Ynez Valley

• Christmas trees collected by Waste Management, as well as trees dropped off at the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station, are also ground into mulch. 

Santa Maria Valley

• Waste Management grinds the Christmas trees it collects in the unincorporated areas and then transports this material to a commercial composting facility in Santa Maria. 
• Christmas trees collected by the City of Santa Maria are taken directly to this same commercial composting facility.

Lompoc Valley

• Waste Management grinds the Christmas trees it collects in the unincorporated areas and then transports this material to a commercial composting facility in Santa Maria. 
• Christmas trees collected by the City of Lompoc are used as Alernative Daily Cover at its Landfill.

What should I do in my area?

South Coast

• Customers of MarBorg Industries may place trees in or near their green waste containers or next to their trash containers on their regular trash collection days. 
• In the City of Carpinteria, customers of E.J. Harrison & Sons may place their Christmas trees in or near their green waste carts or next to their trash containers on January 5th. 
• Owners and managers of multi-unit dwellings should call their waste haujler for Christmas tree recycling details.

North County

• Customers of Waste Management and the City of Santa Maria may place their Christmas trees next to their trash containers by 6:00 a.m. on collection days from January 2nd through 6th. 
• Customers in the City of Lompoc may place their trees next to their trash containers by 7:00 a.m. on January 2nd.

Are there any drop-off locations?

The locations below accept Christmas trees during the holiday season. If you don't have trash service or would like to get rid of your tree earlier than the collection date for your area, take it to one of the locations listed below:

South Coast

South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station
4430 Calle Real
Santa Barbara
(805) 681-4345
Open Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Christmas trees will be accepted for free through January 14th.)

MarBorg Industries
119 North Quarantina Street
Santa Barbara
(805) 963-1852
(Open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

North County

Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station
4004 Foxen Canyon Road
Los Olivos
(805) 688-3555
(Open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Waste Management
1850 West Betteravia Road
Santa Maria
(805) 922-2121
(Open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

City of Lompoc Landfill
Avalon Road (south end)
Lompoc
(805) 875-8024
(Open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.)

Where to go

• Santa Barbara Area (2)

  • *South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station — 4430 Calle Real
  • MarBorg Industries — 119 North Quarantina Street

• Goleta & UCSB Area (1)

  • *South Coast Recycling & Transfer Station — 4430 Calle Real

• Santa Ynez Valley (1)

  • *Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station — 4004 Foxen Canyon Road

• Lompoc Valley & VAFB (1)

  • City of Lompoc Landfill (Scalehouse) — Avalon Rd (south end)

• Santa Maria Valley (1)

  • City of Santa Maria Landfill, aka City of Santa Maria Regional Landfill — 2065 E Main St

• Outside Santa Barbara County (1)

  • California Materials Exchange (CALMAX)