Published on Wednesday, January 7, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

With the holiday season over, residents and businesses across Costa Rica are being urged to recycle their Christmas trees rather than discard them improperly.

Municipalities nationwide have set up tree recycling programs running through Jan. 18 to ensure proper disposal. Most local governments have designated drop-off sites where trees are collected and transported to recycling centers.

At the centers, the trees are cut into smaller pieces and reused as garden decorations, landscaping material or organic fertilizer.

The campaign is designed to prevent trees from being improperly discarded in rivers or burned on patios, sidewalks or open spaces, practices that can create environmental damage and fire hazards.

 

In San José Province, free drop-off locations are available at many cantons, including the Centro de Residuos in Hatillo, the Complejo de Empleados Municipales in Pavas, the Centro Polideportivo in Aranjuez, the Centro Polideportivo in Zapote and the Centro Polideportivo in San Francisco district in Dos Ríos Canton, among others.

Authorities ask residents to remove all decorations, lights and tree stands before recycling, including wooden bases and any nails.

The service is free of charge. The municipality alone expects to collect more than 10,000 trees this year.

Other municipalities across the country are running their own recycling initiatives, some lasting throughout the month. Participating townhalls include Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, Liberia in Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón. Residents are encouraged to contact their local municipal offices for specific locations and schedules.

Costa Rica has operated the post-holiday recycling campaign for more than a decade as part of its efforts to promote sustainable waste management.

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What have you heard about the Christmas tree recycling campaign in your community? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com