It's that time of year again when the holiday season wraps up, and Nashvillians begin thinking about what to do with their once-adorned Christmas trees. Luckily, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), in collaboration with the Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation Department, is bringing back its Christmas Tree Recycling Program for the 2025-2026 holiday season. Starting December 26th, residents of Davidson County will have the opportunity to do right by the environment by dropping off their trees at one of 14 designated locations.
In anticipation of the thousands of trees they expect to receive, NDOT has made sure to spread out the drop-off points across the city for convenience. Included amongst the drop-off locations are parks and community centers such as Two Rivers Park and the Joelton Community Center, as well as Both Living Earth locations at 1511 Elm Hill Pike and 6401 Centennial Boulevard. However, it's important to strip the trees of all decorations, including lights, ornaments, and stands, before dropping them off, according to the Nashville Department of Transportation's announcement.
For those who have moved on from natural trees and opted for artificial alternatives, NDOT has made provisions as well. The four Metro Nashville convenience centers will be accepting discontinued artificial trees, ensuring that both varieties of holiday centerpieces can be disposed of responsibly. These centers, however, are not to be confused with the 14 drop-off locations, which deal exclusively with real trees.
The department also notes that outside the designated collection spots and items, citizens should not dump any other items. In line with the city-wide brush collection schedule, the Christmas trees collected at the drop-off points may also be picked up by NDOT’s brush collection crew. This ensures that trees left curbside on the regular brush collection days will find their way to recycling, although no special pick-ups for trees are scheduled after the holidays. It's essential to confirm that the trees are bare and free of any festive trappings before disposal, a process that the Nashville Department of Transportation insists upon.
This program underscores Nashville's ongoing commitment to sustainability and responsible post-holiday clean-up. By facilitating easy access to recycling services, NDOT is helping to ensure that the natural beauty so many homes enjoyed during the festive period continues to contribute positively to the environment long after the celebrations have concluded.
