St. Petersburg and Tampa residents looking to wrap up the holiday season can dispose of live Christmas trees through a free pickup service.
The special pickup service for live trees will begin Dec. 29 in St. Petersburg and continue through Feb. 9 for households that submit a request, rather than a citywide sweep like in previous years. Officials said targeted collections are more efficient because of a growing number of households using artificial trees.
Tampa’s pickup service starts Jan. 2. Tampa residents must cut tree limbs to four feet lengths, bundle them and place them curbside on their regularly scheduled yard waste collection day.
Trees in both cities must be cleared of all lights, ornaments, garland, stands and disposal bags before being set out. Residents should place trees at their normal trash pickup location before 7 a.m. on the scheduled day and avoid leaning them against poles, meters or containers.
St. Petersburg will also accept live tree drop-offs at five brush sites, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. except on New Year’s Day. Proof of residency is required. Those sites are located at 1000 62nd Ave. NE, 7750 26th Ave. N, 2500 26th Ave. S, 4015 Dr. Martin Luther King St. S, and 2453 20th Ave. N. Additional details and site locations are available at stpete.org/SpecialPickUp and stpete.org/BrushSites.
St. Petersburg residents can schedule a pickup through the SeeClickFix app by submitting a photo of the tree or by calling the Sanitation Department at 727-893-7398. Artificial trees and other large holiday items may be placed in city trash bins if they fit with the lid closed or are scheduled for special pickup through the same request system.
City of Tampa Utilities customers can call 813-274-8811 or visit the website at www.tampagov.net/solidwaste for more information.
