CLEVELAND — Christmas is over, and because it's socially unacceptable to leave your tree up until Easter, it’s time to think about getting rid of it. You could put it on the curb, or you could make a more environmentally-friendly choice. Real trees are biodegradable and can be used for a variety of reasons by parks, including mulch and erosion.
Summit County
Since the 1970s, tens of thousands of Christmas trees have been dropped off by local residents and chipped into mulch used to beautify the Summit Metro Parks. Christmas trees that have decorations removed can be dropped off at the following locations, from Dec. 26 though Jan. 31.
- Firestone Metro Park/ Little Turtle Pond: 2400 Harrington Road in Akron
- Furnace Run Metro Park/ Brushwood Area: 4955 Townsend Road in Richfield
- Goodyear Heights Metro Park/ Main Entrance (rear parking lot): 2077 Newton Street in Akron
- Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park/ Treaty Line Area: 995 Treaty Line Road in Akron
- Sand Run Metro Park/ Treaty Line Area: 995 Treaty Line Road in Akron
- Silver Creek Metro Park/ Big Oak Area: 5199 Medina Line Road in Norton
There will be small signs that identify the drop-off locations, according to Summit Metro Parks.
Lake County
Lake Metroparks is offering Christmas tree recycling drop-off locations in parks throughout the county. Tree bins will be available at the parks listed below until mid-January.
- Chagrin River Park (Reeves Road entrance)
- Chapin Forest Reservation (east entrance/Rt. 306)
- Concord Woods Nature Park
- Erie Shores Golf Course
- Girdled Road Reservation (south entrance/Radcliffe Rd.)
- Grand River Landing
- Gully Brook Park
- Helen Hazen Wyman Park
- Hidden Valley Park
- Lake Erie Bluffs (Lane Road entrance)
- Lakeshore Reservation
- Parsons Gardens
- Penitentiary Glen Reservation
- Pete's Pond Preserve
- Veterans Park
Cuyahoga County
Stearns Homestead: The farm in Parma is accepting discarded Christmas trees once again this year for the goats and sheep to munch on. It is accepting trees until Jan. 15 for Parma residents only. Residents should use the south parking driveway and put the tree without decorations in the front pasture. Find it here: 6975 Ridge Road n Parma, Ohio.
Local compost and yard waste facilities accept trees, according to the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. See a list of registered compost facilities.
Artificial trees
According to Cuyahoga County: "Artificial trees cannot be recycled. If they are no longer usable, they should be placed in the regular trash for disposal. If they are pre-lit, the light strings can be removed from the tree and recycled through a holiday lights recycling program."
