DENVER — Leaves and pumpkins are a sign of the season, but when it's time to get rid of them, the City of Denver is reminding residents that both can be recycled.
They can be dropped off at a Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) Leafdrop location. A1 Organics will turn them into compost that will be made available to Denver residents at a discounted price at participating Ace Hardware locations in the spring.
Three weekday Leafdrop sites are now open. Weekend sites open Nov. 4. View the full Leafdrop schedule at www.denvergov.org/Leafdrop.
Residents are encouraged to bag their leaves in brown paper bags instead of in plastic and can download a coupon to receive a free five-pack of paper leaf bags at participating Ace Hardware stores. Leaves dropped off in plastic bags must be emptied at the site.
It’s illegal to rake your leaves into the street, so residents are urged to collect and compost them instead.
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Holiday light recycling
When it comes time to decorate for the holiday season, you'll inevitably find some broken, burned-out or impossibly tangled lights. Don't throw them away, recycle them instead, for free, through Denver’s holiday lights recycling program.
The following items are accepted:
- Strings of incandescent, LED and "icicle" lights.
- Attached bulbs OK
These items are NOT accepted
- Bubble (liquid-filled) or neon lights
- Remove light strings from packaging material
Holiday light recycling locations
- Located near the intersection of South Quebec Street and East Cherry Creek South Drive. Enter going south on Cherry Creek S. Drive (follow the signs).
- Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Closed on Sundays, Mondays and city holidays
Blue Star Recyclers
- Located at 953 Decatur St. Denver, CO 80204
- Drop off Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Closed on Sundays
- Blue Star will be closed from Dec. 24 - Jan. 1; the drop site will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 2.
TREECYCLE
After the holiday season, you can recycle your tree in Denver between Jan. 2 and Jan. 31 by dropping it off at a city collection site. They'll be turned into mulch that will be made available in the spring.
All decorations, lights, and tree stands must be removed prior to drop off. Only natural, real trees will be accepted. No artificial or flocked trees.
Tree recycling locations
Weekday Treecycle drop sites open Jan. 2 – 31, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Cherry Creek Transfer Station – 7301 E. Jewell Ave. (enter on East Jewell Avenue)
- Havana Nursery – 10450 Smith Road. (enter on Smith Road)
- Central Platte Campus – 1271 W. Bayaud Ave. (next to the Denver Animal Shelter)
These locations will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Weekend Treecyle drop sites are Saturday, Jan. 13, 20 and 27, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sloan’s Lake Northwest Parking Lot – West Byron Place and Yates Street
- Bruce Randolph – East 40th Avenue and Steele Street
- Fred Thomas Park – 2400 Quebec St.
- Evie Dennis School Campus – 4800 Telluride St.
- Central Platte Campus – 1271 W. Bayaud Ave.
- Carson Elementary - 5420 E. 1st Ave.
- Kennedy High School – Newland Street and Brown Place
- Slavens Elementary – 3000 S. Clayton St.
- Congress Park – 850 N. Josephine St.
If you don’t want to recycle your holiday tree, it can be put out and collected on your large item pickup day. Trees left out for large item pickup will not be turned into mulch.
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