Christmas tree pickup & drop-off in Calgary
There's no special curbside tree pickup in Calgary — but you have two free options, and both end with your tree becoming compost instead of landfill.
Option 1 — The green cart
- Remove everything: ornaments, lights, tinsel, ribbon and the stand.
- Cut the tree so all pieces fit completely inside the green cart with the lid closed — crews can't take overflowing carts.
- It goes out on your normal green cart day (biweekly in winter, so plan for the right week).
Real evergreen wreaths and garlands are accepted too, once every wire and decoration is off.
Option 2 — Free January drop-off (treecycling)
If cutting up a dry tree in −20° isn't your idea of fun, the City opens free temporary tree drop-off sites in early January each year. Bring the whole tree, bare — no bags, no decorations. Dates and locations are announced on calgary.ca each December (the 2027 sites are still to be determined; recent years used major parks and City facilities across all quadrants).
What about artificial trees?
Artificial trees can't be composted. If it's usable, donate it. If it's broken, it goes to a City landfill as garbage — it won't fit the black cart, and it doesn't belong in the green or blue cart.
Why bother?
Composted trees become nutrient-rich soil amendment instead of taking up landfill space and releasing methane. Calgary composts thousands of trees every January.
Related
- Christmas tree — quick bin answer
- Holiday collection schedule — is pickup running between Christmas and New Year's?
- Full green cart guide