Jan 15, 2026 - Culture

How to get rid of your Christmas tree in the DMV

Anna Spiegel

Discarded green Christmas tree lying on a curb next to a sidewalk with dry leaves, rocks, and parked white cars in a suburban street on a sunny day. — 'Tis the season to trash your $120 Christmas tree and consider buying a tasteful fake one next year. Photo: Mert Alper Dervis /Anadolu via Getty Images

There are several ways to dispose of your Christmas trees in D.C., all of which speak to your essence as a human being.

Why it matters: Goodbye, holiday season. Hello, judgey January.

🙏 Overachiever: Carefully bag your tree and transport it to one of D.C.'s three drop-off locations. You probably also did your holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, and definitely reused gift wrap.

🤷 Passive: Drag it out to the curb sometime in January for the neighborhood dogs to pee on. The city will eventually pick it up (you can call 311 after a week, but you won't).

😒 Neglectful: Wait until February 28 — past Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, President's Day, MANY holidays that are not Christmas — and leave it on the curb for last-day pick-up.

🔥 Psychotic: Wait until July. See how crispy it gets. Drag it to the trash — the needles prick like puppy teeth, but you don't feel pain — and ditch it. Even a hit of hard sun could ignite a dumpster fire.

See also: Tree drop-off/pickup in Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Arlington (note the Jan. 16 pickup deadline), Falls Church, Fairfax, Alexandria

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How to get rid of your Christmas tree in the DMV

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