Louisiana is losing a football field's worth of land every hour and a half, according to a 2019 New Yorker article by Elizabeth Kolbert. We can all do something to help by recycling our Christmas trees. Here is what you need to know:
JEFFERSON PARISH
There are two ways to recycle your Christmas tree:
•Bring your tree to the David Drive (400 David Drive, Metairie, LA 70003) or Lapalco Boulevard (6440 Lapalco Blvd., Marrero, LA 70072) drop-off site from Monday, January 5, 2026 through Saturday, January 17, 2026.
•Place your tree curbside the evening of Wednesday, January 7, 2026 to be collected on one of the following dates: Thursday, January 8, 2026, Friday, January 9, 2026, or Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Trees must meet the following guidelines in order to be recycled:
- No flocked trees
- No artificial trees
- No painted trees
- No lights, garland, tinsel, ornaments, tree stands or plastic bags
Volunteer for the Recycling Event
Each year, thousands of Christmas trees are donated by Jefferson Parish residents and diverted from landfills to protect wetland habitat within the Barataria Basin. These recycled trees are used to build wave-dampening fences located off the shore, helping to reduce coastal erosion. The 2026 Jefferson Parish Christmas Tree Recycling event will take place on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Visit the Jefferson Parish website to sign up to volunteer.
For more information about tree collection, contact the Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs at (504) 731-4612.
ORLEANS PARISH
For residents who want to participate in the program, these are the following options:
Dec. 26 – Jan. 4: Call 311 to ask for curbside pickup using the “Christmas Tree” service request. A contractor will collect the first 400 trees requested through that number.
Jan 5. – Jan. 9: Place trees on the curb by 5 a.m. on your normal garbage collection day. A recycling truck will follow the garbage truck.
French Quarter & Downtown Development District (DDD): Place trees curbside before 4 a.m. on Thursday, Jan 8 only.
In order for Christmas trees to be recycled, they cannot be flocked or have remnants of tinsel. The Office of Resilience and Sustainability advises that residents remove all ornaments, lighting and tree stand bases for recycling pick up.
Only natural, unflocked trees that are free of tree stands and all trimmings (decorations, ornaments, tinsel and lights) will be collected for recycling. Flocked, artificial trees, trees in bags or trees with unremoved trimmings will be collected with garbage and transported to the landfill. Trees are not to be placed on the neutral grounds, as this delays the collection process.
Working collaboratively, the City’s Department of Sanitation; waste management contractors; the City’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the Louisiana National Guard will collect, sort and bundle the recycled trees. They will then be placed in selected coastal zones to restore wetlands lost to erosion and the sinking of the land (subsidence).
In 2022, more than 5,000 Christmas trees were collected in Orleans Parish after the holidays and then airlifted by the Louisiana National Guard into the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge to create new marsh habitat. After the trees are dropped by helicopter, workers arrive by boat to move them to their final position. Over the course of this program, recycled Christmas trees have restored an area of marsh equal to almost 200 football fields. The trees also create important habitat for birds, fish, crabs, crawfish and shrimp.
St. Charles Parish
For St. Charles Parish's 2025-2026 holiday season (late Dec '25/early Jan '26), residents can drop off undecorated, real Christmas trees at East Bridge Park & River Bank Bridge Park for coastal restoration, with curbside pickup also happening Jan 5-7, 2026, using trees for marsh habitat. Remember to remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel, stands, and plastic bags before dropping off, as only bare, natural trees are accepted for this vital coastal effort.
Drop-Off Locations (Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 14, 2026):
•East Bridge Park: 13244 River Rd, Destrehan.
•River Bank Bridge Park: 13825 River Rd, Luling.
•Monsanto Park: Pirate Drive, Montz.
•Des Allemands Playground: Calcagno Street, Des Allemands.
Curbside Collection (Jan 5-7, 2026):
Place your tree at the curb on the night before your scheduled collection.
Key Rules:
Only Real Trees: No artificial, flocked, or painted trees.
Remove Everything: Lights, tinsel, ornaments, stands, and plastic bags must be removed.
This program, run in partnership with CRCL.org, turns your tree into marsh habitat, protecting Louisiana's coast.
