recycle christmas trees

GULF SHORES Ala.
January 3, 2025

Several communities are inviting you to recycle your Christmas trees!

Area cities are both collecting the trees at the curb and in specific drop-off locations.

Be sure that your tree is stripped of all ornaments, icicles, or other decorations and in some areas, you may need to take the fake snow off from the tree branches.

Residents of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are encouraged to donate their trees — stripped of all decorations, ornaments, tinsel, garland, or other decorations to the Gulf State Park’s annual dune restoration project by placing them for subside pickup. Flocked trees will not be accepted.

Orange Beach’s public works department will pick trees up Friday, Jan. 3. If you live in Gulf Shores, place your tree in a pile separate from other debris, and public works crews will pick it up with the last day being Jan. 24.

You can also drop off your undecorated Christmas tree at the Gulf State Park Beach Pavilion through Jan. 31. The drop-off area is beside the Dumpsters on the east side of the parking lot.

For beach communities here along the Gulf Coast, it is an excellent way to recycle and it helps to prevent beach or dune erosion.

When the wind carries sand across the beach, the sand catches in the trees, building up over time, and creating a new area of dune growth.

The following spring, park staff and volunteers plant native dune plants around the trees to further restore the natural habitat.