El Paso city, county offer 2 recycling programs to get rid of your holiday trees

EL PASO, Texas – Starting Tuesday, city residents may recycle their live holiday trees at any of the Environmental Services Department’s Citizen Collection Stations.

Citizen Collection Sites are open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They have been closed for the Christmas holiday and will be closed from Jan. 1-3 in observance of New Year’s.

The sites are located at: 121 Atlantic (West); 4501 Hondo Pass (Northeast); 2492 Harrison (Central); 1034 Pendale (Lower Valley); and 3510 Confederate (East).

Live Christmas trees will be turned into mulch, which is available to all El Paso residents for free. All ornaments, lights and other decorations must be removed before trees can be dropped off at a Citizen Collection Site.

These sites also accept household trash, bulky items, tires without rims, used electronics and household hazardous waste.

Residents dropping off any of the above items, including holiday trees, will need to bring a recent water bill and matching ID or show their Citizen Collection Site pass on the Environmental Services Department’s app, “ESD Works for You.”

Meanwhile, the El Paso County Parks and Recreation Department is offering an alternative if you have live potted holiday plants this season.

Through the “Treecycle” program, county residents can drop off their live potted trees from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Jan. 7 at the Ascarate Park maintenance yard.

Plants will be re-planted at other county-owned facilities.

Residents are asked to remove all ornaments, lights and tinsel. Only live-potted plants will be accepted.

City recycling: elpasotexas.gov/ESD or call (915) 212-6000. You can also download the “ESD Works for You” app.

County “Treecycle:” epcountyparks.com.