After Christmas the order matters. In our order, the tree and the packaging go out before the floors are cleaned because moving them makes a mess. The checklists do not list taking down or carrying out a tree, flattening boxes or sorting paper. In Philadelphia the City takes a live tree two ways: as trash at the curb, or recycled through a City drop-off, a community event or a private pick-up. The City's own program runs for two weeks in January. This guide sets out what the City's pages say about the tree, the wrapping paper and the boxes, what they leave unsaid, and where a booked visit fits in our suggested order.
The City wording comes from four phila.gov documents read on November 1, 2026: Dispose of Christmas trees, the Sanitation post Spread cheer, recycle right this year dated December 22, 2025, the Special items recycling page and the one-page Holiday Recycling Guide (the 2025 edition). The holidays and closures page and a Penn State Extension tree-care page (updated September 26, 2025) are cited once each. Every date below is from last season, December 2025 and January 2026, and none of the pages gave dates for January 2027, so check the City page before you plan around a day. This is not City advice.
The short answer
- The curb: "Philadelphia residents may dispose of their live Christmas trees curbside or recycle them." A tree at the curb is handled this way: "Trees placed curbside will be taken by the City as trash instead of being composted."
- The window: the January 2026 recycling program ran from Monday, January 5, through Saturday, January 17, 2026. The Special items page says "Christmas tree recycling usually takes place for two weeks in January."
- The paper and boxes: the Holiday Recycling Guide puts gift wrap without glitter or embellishments, and flattened corrugated cardboard shipping boxes, in the recycling bin. It keeps bows, lights, ornaments and plastic bags out.
- The visit: in our suggested order, comes after the tree, the boxes and the paper are out of the house.
Four ways a live tree can leave
The City's tree page names the curb and three recycling routes. The table sets each beside what the pages leave out.
| Route | What the City pages say | What they leave out |
|---|---|---|
| At the curb | "Trees placed curbside will be taken by the City as trash instead of being composted." | A collection day for a tree, and any rule on bags or stands. |
| City-run drop-off | The tree page: "While the program is running, you may bring your Christmas tree to one of several designated locations or to a sanitation convenience center." The Sanitation post adds six convenience centers and 15 more locations on Saturdays, January 10 and 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and says "The program is free for residents." The 2025 guide gives the centers' hours as Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Sites and hours for January 2027. |
| Community events | The tree page lists Philly Goat Project events at The Farm at Awbury (January 10 and 24, 12 to 3 p.m.) and Laurel Hill West Cemetery, 215 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd (January 17, 12 to 3 p.m.), each listed at $20 per tree. It adds: "Before attending, confirm the event details with the group." | Any 2027 event. |
| Private pick-up | The tree page: "The following groups offer pick-up services for $20 per Christmas tree." Bennett Compost listed all Philadelphia ZIP codes and Circle Compost listed Center City, West Philly, South Philly, Manayunk and Roxborough, on the January 2026 weekends of 3 and 4, 10 and 11, and 17 and 18 (Bennett also December 27 and 28, 2025). The page adds: "Visit their websites to find more information and to schedule a service." | Whether a bag or stand is allowed. |
What the tree pages don't connect
The recycling routes want a bare tree: "Trees must be untied and have no decorations to make it easy to recycle them." The tree page says what happens next: "Recycled trees are sent to a vendor that chips them up as a bulking agent for composting." Our reading, not the City's: a tree that left the house in a bag, or still carries tinsel, has to be unbagged and stripped before a drop-off, and the tree page says nothing about bags for the curb.
The pages also tie recycling to the January window but give the curb route no window of its own. They do not say whether a tree set out earlier is taken. Penn State Extension's test for a cut tree is useful here: "If the needles break easily or fall off in your hand, the tree is dry and should be removed." The same page notes that "All needled evergreens shed their oldest needles every year," so a few brown needles inside the tree are not the signal. If yours is dry before the window opens, ask Philly311 before you set it out.
Wrapping paper, boxes and the rest
Two City documents cover the paper. The Sanitation post sorts holiday items into recycle, reuse and reduce lists. The Holiday Recycling Guide gives a bin list and a keep-out list. They agree on most items and word the glitter exclusion differently.
| Item | Sanitation post, December 22, 2025 | Holiday Recycling Guide, 2025 edition |
|---|---|---|
| Wrapping paper | Recycle: "Wrapping paper (except glitter or metallic paper) and gift tags." | Bin, paper list: "Plain paper greeting cards, gift wrap, and gift bags (no glitter or embellishments)" |
| Paper gift bags | Reuse list: "Gift bags" | Same bin line as gift wrap, with the same glitter and embellishments exception |
| Plastic bags | Reuse list: "Plastic grocery and gift bags" | Keep-out list: "No plastic bags" |
| Ribbons and bows | Reuse list: ribbons and bows | Keep-out list: "No bows." Ribbon is not named. |
| Tissue paper | Reduce tip: "Use less tissue paper and decorations in your packaging." No bin is given. | Keep-out list: "No tissues, paper towels, or napkins." Gift tissue is not named. |
| Boxes and tubes | Not named | Cardboard list, "flattened and free of grease and food": "Corrugated cardboard shipping boxes" and "Wrapping paper rolls" |
| String lights | Not named | Keep-out list: "No lights." The kind of light is not given. |
| Bubble wrap, tinsel, tree stands | Not named | Not named. The keep-out list says "No single-use plastics" and does not name bubble wrap. |
Our reading, not the City's: if a sheet of paper sparkles, shimmers or has trim stuck on it, it falls under one wording or the other, so keep it out of the bin. The guide does not name metallic paper, and the post does. The guide also says "NO PLASTIC BAGS. DO NOT BAG YOUR RECYCLABLES." in its own capitals, so flattened boxes and loose paper go in as they are. Neither document says where lights go. The Special items page names "the new bulb or battery containers at a sanitation convenience center" for bulbs and batteries and does not name string lights. For an item no page names, ask Philly311.
The order we would use
The order below is ours. It puts the floors last because the tree and the packaging make the mess.
| Step | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The tree | Take off ornaments, tinsel and lights. Take it out of its stand and any bag. Carry it out untied. | The drop-off routes ask for a bare, untied tree, and needles fall as it moves. |
| 2. Boxes and paper | Flatten the cardboard. Sort gift wrap, bags and bows by the guide's two lists. Bag nothing that goes in the bin. | The guide asks for flattened cardboard and no bagged recyclables. |
| 3. Needles and floors | Sweep or vacuum from the door inward once the tree is out, including the stairs. | Doing it earlier means doing it twice. |
| 4. Collection day | Count the holiday shift before you set boxes out. The holidays page says "Trash and recycling collection will be one day behind schedule for the rest of the week after a holiday." | Check the City's list of observed holidays before choosing a collection day; this post prints no holiday dates. |
| 5. The visit | In our order, book it after steps 1 to 4. | Our order puts the floors last because the tree and the packaging make the mess. |
What a booked visit covers and what it does not
Our checklists name floor and upholstery lines that matter after a tree. The Standard and Deep checklists do not list taking down or carrying out a tree, flattening boxes or sorting paper, and the Terms of Service say "Cleaners cannot move furniture or objects weighing more than 30 pounds." The same Terms add "If heavy items block areas needing cleaning, please move them before the appointment."
| Tier | Lines worth knowing after Christmas | Not on either checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | "Vacuum Upholstered Furniture," "Hallway & Staircases Vacuumed And/or Mopped," "Floors Swept / Mopped / Vacuumed," "Clean and Empty Trash Cans" and, in the kitchen, "Open Carpet Areas Vacuumed" | Taking down or carrying out a tree; flattening boxes; sorting paper |
| Deep | Standard plus "Detailed Dusting Of Common Areas (30-mins)" and "Empty Closet Floors Vacuumed / Mopped" | The same three |
Standard or Deep is your call. Deep adds the detailed dusting line, among others. The booking page shows the live total for your home, and our guides to cleaning before holiday guests and what house cleaners will not do cover the add-ons and the limits.
An example, invented
This household is invented to show the order. It is not a customer. Marcus has a real tree in a rowhouse with a narrow front stair. In early January he checks the City's tree page for that year's dates and takes the lights and ornaments off. Once the window opens he unties the tree and carries it to a drop-off on a Saturday the page lists. He flattens the shipping boxes, puts the plain gift wrap and the paper gift bags in the bin loose, and keeps the bows and the glittery paper out. He sweeps the hall and the stair once the tree is gone, then books a Standard visit for the following week and notes the stair when he does.
Where to go next
For the stairs and halls of a rowhouse, see cleaning a Philadelphia rowhome. For what to put away before a visit, see how to prepare for house cleaners. For the visit in this guide's order, start a booking.
Frequently asked questions
Does the City take a Christmas tree left at the curb?
The City's tree page says live trees may go curbside and are taken as trash instead of being composted. It gives no collection day for a tree.
When does Philadelphia recycle Christmas trees?
The January 2026 program ran from Monday, January 5, through Saturday, January 17, 2026. The pages we read showed no dates for January 2027.
Can I recycle wrapping paper in Philadelphia?
The Holiday Recycling Guide lists gift wrap without glitter or embellishments in the bin, and the Sanitation post lists wrapping paper except glitter or metallic paper.
Does a Hometress cleaner take away the tree or the boxes?
Neither the Standard nor the Deep checklist lists it, and the Terms say cleaners cannot move objects over 30 pounds. Our guide puts the tree and the boxes first so the floors are cleaned after they make their mess.