Fire officials warn that dried-out Christmas trees are a fire risk and advise residents to dispose of them promptly to prevent fast-moving fires.
See how quickly a tree can go up in flames in the video player below.
Cities around the Valley are offering free tree recycling and composting options.
Here are some of the disposal options, according to each respective city:
Glendale
Residents may bring their live Christmas trees to the following sites through Jan. 4:
- Acoma Park, 53rd Avenue and Acoma Road
- Foothills Park, 57th Avenue and Union Hills Drive
- O’Neil Park: 64th and Missouri avenues
- Rose Lane Park: 51st and Marlette avenues
- Fire Station No. 156: 67th Avenue and Deer Valley Road
- Heroes Regional Park: 83rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road
- Sahuaro Ranch Park: 63rd Avenue and Mountain View Road
Most drop-off locations are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but hours may vary. Residents should check specific site hours to ensure access. Alternatively, they can leave live holiday trees outside for Glendale’s monthly bulk trash pickup.
Live trees must be cleared of ornaments, tinsel, lights, stands, and other items before disposal. Artificial trees are not accepted.
Goodyear
Dispose of trees once they begin to dry out, and never burn trees in fireplaces or fire pits.
Goodyear residents can place holiday trees on the curb for their bulk trash pickup day or drop them off at Sunbelt Rentals at 803 E. Van Buren St.
Phoenix
The City offers free Christmas tree composting. See all locations and learn more here.
Buckeye
The city of Buckeye shared on its website that collection occurs on the first and second Saturday of January; only live Christmas trees (no plastic or wire ones), unbagged, with decorations, tinsel, stands, metal stakes, and nails removed will be accepted at the following fire stations:
- Fire Station 701, 404 South Miller Road
- Fire Station 702, 1911 South Rainbow Road
- Fire Station 704, 27360 W Wagner Complex Dr
- Fire Station 705, 30551 W Tartesso Pkwy
Peoria
Peoria’s Solid Waste Division provides drop-off sites for tree composting from December 26, 2025, to January 2, 2026. Residents need to remove all decorations, hooks, tinsel, and lights before dropping off their tree.
Locations:
- Peoria Sports Complex – 16101 N 83rd Ave (Entrance off Paradise Lane)
- Walmart – 7975 W Peoria Ave
- Walmart – 21655 N Lake Pleasant Pkwy
- Sunrise Mountain Library – 21109 N 98th Ave (West side of parking lot)
- Home Depot – 25650 N Lake Pleasant Rd
- Home Depot – 9201 W Peoria Ave
- Lowe’s – 8497 W Thunderbird Rd
Surprise
The City of Surprise accepts Christmas tree drop-offs until January 11, 2026; trees must be free of decorations, placed only in designated areas, and a limit of two trees per household.
- Bi-Centennial Park: 16705 N Nash Street
- Surprise Recreation Campus / Youth Baseball Complex: 15795 N Parkview Place
- Dick McComb Softball Park: 17894 Westpark Boulevard
- Asante Community Park:16763 W Vereda Solana Dr.
Scottsdale
From now until Friday, January 9, 2026, you can dispose of your real, untreated Christmas trees or unwired wreaths at designated drop-off locations.
Look for yellow roll-off containers at the following parks: Cactus Park, Chaparral Park, Eldorado Park, Horizon Park, Scottsdale Ranch Park, Scottsdale Sports Complex, and Thompson Peak Park.
Scottsdale residents can also place their real Christmas tree (without stands, ornaments, lights, bags, or wires) in the green waste pile during their scheduled Brush/Bulk week, not with bulk trash or artificial trees.
Tempe
Holiday trees are not accepted in regular trash.
They can be placed in the green organics pile for bulk trash pickup during your scheduled week after removing stands, nails, ornaments, lights, garland, and tinsel.
Alternatively, residents can drop off their tree at the Sky Harbor Regional Transfer Station, 2425 S. 40th Street, during business hours.
Mesa
Christmas tree recycling sites are open through January 19 at five locations around the city:
- Dobson Ranch, 2363 S. Dobson Road
- Fitch Park Playground, 261 E. 8th St.
- East Mesa Service Center, 6935 E. Decatur St.
- Mountain View Park, 845 N. Lindsay Road
- Superstition Springs Substation, 2430 E. Ellsworth Road
Recycling is available for live, undecorated Christmas trees only. Trees must be stripped of lights, ornaments, stands, tinsel, flocking, or other decorations. Do not leave trees outside the fenced areas. Drop-off sites are open 24/7.
Queen Creek
The Town of Queen Creek offers a free, self-service Christmas tree drop-off at the QC Recycling Center [22179 E Ryan Rd] from December 26 to January 9, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Residents can recycle live trees here—after removing all lights, decorations, and ornaments; collected trees are chipped for reuse as roadside cover.
Residents can also schedule free bulk tree pickups or explore additional recycling and disposal resources at QueenCreekAZ.gov.
