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Where to drop off your Christmas tree after the holidays in Paris?

undefined undefined 3 janvier 2025 undefined 20h00

undefined undefined 5 janvier 2026 undefined 13h29

The Editor

© Anna Zelena - Shutterstock

Every year after the end-of-year holidays, the City sets up over 180 collection points to get rid of your Christmas tree. The tree is then shredded and used to protect the plants in green spaces. Here’s how to adopt this simple and eco-friendly gesture. 

Star-topped tree, Christmas balls, garlands, nativity scenes... When the New Year peeks around the corner, all these beautiful and symbolic decorations go back into the closet, and our living room loses some of its charm. What’s a tree without its attributes ? Don’t let this poor, tired little shrub sadly linger in your home: it’s time to put it away too, in its spot, until you find its worthy successor in 12 short months. Here are the collection spots set up by the City to help you responsibly say goodbye.


181 collection points scattered throughout Paris 

It's impossible to list every collection point because there are so many! They are spread all over central Paris, with at least two locations per district. The easiest way to find them is by using the interactive map created by the city of Paris, which shows each spot - usually gardens or squares - where you can drop off your Christmas tree. 

A few requirements: only trees with or without roots are accepted, and they should have no decorations, no paint or flocking, and no bag, stand, or metal support. Essentially, a completely stripped-down tree!

.© Ville de Paris


A simple and eco-friendly approach 

We know that parting with your Christmas tree, especially too soon, can be a bit of a downer. Winter becomes much less fun without the holidays, the decorations, the lights, the champagne, and those tasty little snacks: it’s just cold, plain and simple. To cheer you up, see how this act of kindness can benefit the environment: once collected, the tree is recycled by the city’s gardeners. Sensitive souls, beware: your beloved tree will be shredded on-site and transformed into mulch. Its remains are then spread at the foot of the flowerbeds or on the paths, helping to ecologically reduce the growth of weeds and limit the emergence of free grasses.Evaporation of water and promoting the development of underground microorganisms that enhance soil life.

Beware: for personal purposes, it's important to know that pine mulch is particularly acidic, and is therefore not suitable for use in compost. However, its anti-germination properties are perfect for limiting the proliferation of weeds in an eco-friendly way. It acts as a natural weed killer.


Coordinated collection until January 20th... and more?

So, are you ready to say goodbye to your dear tree? Last year, across the 174 collection points set up, 110,470 Christmas trees were collected, allowing for the creation of 2,500 m3 of mulch. However, we don’t want to rush you: you have until the 20th of January to take it to the collection points.

Good to know: the most nostalgic - and nature lovers - can go beyond the deadline and keep their shrub cozy for as long as they like, as the Christmas tree brigade has not been deployed yet. The town hall specifies that all you need to do is put the tree out at the same time as the “household waste” bins with green lids from your building so it can be recycled, making sure to cut it in half if it measures more than 2.50 m. As a reminder, throwing a Christmas tree into nature, especially in the forest, can incur a fine of up to 1,500 euros.