YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The York County Solid Waste Authority (YCSWA) kicked off their annual free Christmas program for all of its residents on Tuesday.
From December 26 to January 31, 2024, residents can bring their tree to the parking lot directly across the street from the York County Resource Recovery Center in Manchester Township located at 2651 Blackridge Road. The disposed Christmas trees will be turned into mulch by H&H General Excavating.
The program aims to give residents an easy way to get rid of their Christmas trees while fulfilling York County's effort to reduce waste.
"We want to encourage residents of York County to recycle anything they possibly can," said Denise Feltenberger, community services specialist for York County. "We have our waste to energy facility, the York County resource recovery center, but we always say that we want that to be the place that people actually put their things."
Residents must remove all ornaments, lights tinsel and protective bags before dropping the tree off. Artificial trees are also not accepted.
Christmas trees can be dropped off at anytime through Jan. 31. County officials say the busiest drop-off times are typically weekends.
This is the 36th year that the YCSWA has run the program. In 2022, the program collected over 42.4 tons of Christmas.
The YCSWA organizes two other key programs to reduce waste in the area. On the first Saturday in May, the authority hosts a household hazardous waste drop-off event. They also run a free litter disposal program all year long that community groups and other organizations can take part in.