For those who celebrate Christmas, one of the most festive parts of the holiday season is breaking out the big tree.
A less fun part of the season, now that Christmas has passed, is taking it all down, packing up the decorations and finding somewhere to dispose of the tree, if you picked out a live one, that is.
Sometimes that last part can be tricky, but luckily Johnson County and its cities have several options for Christmas tree disposal. Just remember to strip your tree of all decorations before you bring it.
Here’s where you can get rid of your Christmas tree in the next few days.
Johnson County
The county will offer disposal sites for Johnson Countians to recycle their Christmas trees for free starting on Tuesday, Dec. 26, and continuing through Jan. 31.
Trees can be dropped off at the following locations:
- Theatre in the Park, 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee Mission (just north of the main entrance of Shawnee Mission Park)
- Heritage Park, 16000 Pflumm Road, Olathe (marina parking lot)
- Kill Creek Park, 11670 Homestead Lane, Olathe (marina parking lot)
- Big Bull Creek Park, 20425 Sunflower Road, Edgerton
Drop off for live trees to these sites opens at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 26.
All sites will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Jan. 31 — except for the Theatre in the Park site, which will open daily at 6 a.m.
Overland Park
Overland Park will provide four drop-off sites for Christmas tree drop-off.
Starting on Dec. 26 and continuing through Jan. 12, residents can bring trees to the following locations:
- Young’s Park — 7701 Antioch Road
- Indian Creek Recreation Center — 10308 Marty St.
- Quivira Park — 11901 Quivira Road
- Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens — 8909 W. 179th St.
All four sites will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the exception of the Arboretum, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Olathe
Olathe residents can bring in live Christmas trees to be recycled, after decorations have been removed.
Trees can be brought to Olathe’s recycling facility at 127th Street and Hedge Lane.
The facility is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
If you’re making a drop-off, bring a photo ID with you for proof of Olathe residency.
Lenexa
Starting on Dec. 26, residents can bring trees to the Little Mill Creek Park parking lot at 79th and Cottonwood streets.
The site will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan. 13.
If you’d like your tree picked up instead, the city of Lenexa will partner again this year with local Boy Scout Troop 186 for curbside tree pickups on four different days.
To arrange a tree pickup, choose a pickup date here. Place your tree on the curb by 9 a.m. on the pickup day of your choice. Available dates are Dec. 28 and 29 as well as Jan. 4 and 5.
Leawood
Starting on Dec. 26, Leawood will open three locations for residents to drop off their Christmas trees.
You can bring live trees (without decorations) to the following locations:
- Leawood City Park (10601 Lee Blvd.)
- Ironwoods Park (14701 Mission Road)
- The fields at 119th Street and Tomahawk Creek Parkway
These drop-off sites will open on Dec. 26 and will remain open through Jan. 26.
Merriam
The city of Merriam’s Public Works department will pick up Christmas trees on Jan. 13 through 17.
This pickup is free for Merriam residents.
To get your tree picked up, place it by the curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day.
View the pickup schedule map here to determine which day your tree will be collected, based on where in Merriam you live.
Roeland Park
Residents can drop off their Christmas trees in the northwest corner of the parking lot at Roeland Park City Hall, at 4600 W. 51st St.
The site will be open between Dec. 24 and Jan. 10.
The site is for live Christmas trees only. No bushes, decorations or artificial trees will be accepted.
