Twenty-seven years ago, the City of Austin began recycling Christmas trees, and now, almost 20,000 trees are kept out of area landfills annually. The tradition continues with two ways to recycle your tree into a free local resource: curbside collection for City of Austin customers and Zilker Park drop offs for other residents.

For City of Austin trash customers, recycling a Christmas tree is as easy as setting it on the curb. Beginning Dec. 26, 2011, Austin Resource Recovery (formerly Solid Waste Services) will pick up all trees with yard trimmings on regularly scheduled collection days. They are then recycled along with yard trimmings to make Dillo Dirt.

Residents who do not have City of Austin trash service, including apartment and condo residents, can recycle their trees by dropping them off in Zilker Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates:

Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012; Sunday, Jan. 8; 2012; Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012; Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012

Trees collected at Zilker are recycled into mulch, which is made available free on a first-come, first-served basis to Austin residents in mid-January. Residents should bring their own bags or equipment because Parks and Recreation Department staffers cannot assist with loading it.