NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans is launching its 2025–2026 Christmas Tree Recycling Program, a long-running environmental initiative that diverts discarded holiday trees from landfills and repurposes them for coastal wetland restoration across Louisiana.
Public-Private Partnership Behind the Christmas Tree Program
Led by the city’s Office of Resilience & Sustainability, the program is carried out in partnership with Glass Half Full and sponsored by Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company. The effort provides residents with a free and environmentally beneficial disposal option while supporting habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects.
Recycling Trees – How and When
Residents can participate through two curbside collection options, depending on timing and location.
From Dec. 26 through Jan. 4, residents may call 311 to request the “Christmas Tree” service for scheduled curbside pickup, with availability limited to the first 400 trees.
After that opt-in period, the city will conduct neighborhood-wide collections from Jan. 5 through Jan. 9. During that window, residents should place prepared trees at the curb by 5 a.m. on their regular garbage collection day, where they will be collected by a recycling truck following the garbage route.
In the French Quarter and Downtown areas, trees must be placed curbside before 4 a.m. on Jan. 8.
To be eligible for recycling, trees must be completely free of lights, ornaments, stands, flocking, tinsel, tree bases, and any other decorations or trimmings.
From Curbside Pickup to Coastal Restoration
Once collected, the trees are processed and reused to help rebuild and stabilize eroding marshland. According to the city, the program has been operating for more than 27 years and has contributed to the restoration of wetland areas equivalent to roughly 300 football fields.
Recycled trees are used to create natural barriers that slow erosion, trap sediment, and support wildlife habitats for birds, fish, crabs, crawfish, and shrimp. A peer-reviewed study of intertidal “sediment fences” found that low-cost structures made from recycled Christmas trees can increase sediment trapping, a mechanism that supports marsh building and shoreline stabilization.
Over the life of the program, the City of New Orleans has partnered with the National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Louisiana Army National Guard to place recycled trees in wetlands at the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge where they are used to reduce wave action and slow erosion along vulnerable marsh and shoreline areas.
Similar “tree fence” projects have also been used for dune and shoreline restoration in other coastal regions because the porous barriers can accumulate and hold material such as sand on beaches and sediment in marsh settings.
Louisiana Army National Guard Uses Black Hawk Helicopters
As part of that work, in the annual Christmas Tree Drop operation at the Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana Army National Guard aviators use UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to airlift harnessed bundles of recycled trees and place them at strategic locations within the marsh.
The aerial placement creates wave breaks that encourage sediment to settle and support the growth of native marsh grasses, enhancing habitat and shoreline stability. Guard officials say the mission also provides valuable flight crew training in sling-load and low-altitude maneuvers in a controlled setting while supporting coastal restoration efforts.
Office of Resilience & Sustainability
City officials say the initiative remains a cost-effective way to strengthen coastal defenses while engaging residents directly in sustainability efforts. Additional details on participation and preparation guidelines are available through the city’s Office of Resilience & Sustainability.
The City of New Orleans’ Office of Resilience & Sustainability coordinates citywide strategies to strengthen resilience, advance environmental sustainability, and reduce climate-related risks. The office leads initiatives focused on coastal protection, climate adaptation, waste reduction, energy efficiency, and equitable economic development, working across city departments and with state, federal, nonprofit, and private-sector partners.
