If you went with a real tree for Christmas this year, Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 8 will help you dispose of it when the holidays are over.
Through Troop 8’s free Scouting 4 Trees program, Lincoln residents can leave their unwanted tree on the curb for local scouts to pick up and recycle, giving those trees a second life and preventing them from going to the land fill.
Residents can utilize the service as soon as Christmas is over, Dec. 26-28, then Jan. 1, 3-4, and 10. Troop 8 Committee Chair Brooks Rushman KLIN News that scouts have picked up thousands of trees over the program’s 11 years in Lincoln. Similar programs exist in the Greater Omaha and Kearney areas.
“You put in your zip code and address and we show up on the day that you pick,” says Rushman. “Most of them go to the City drop-off sites and they get chipped up for mulch that residents use for their landscapes, or for animal beds at the zoo.”
Rushman said trees should be stripped of all decorations and placed on the curb by 9 a.m. Residents can schedule an appointment at no cost by visiting scoutingfortrees.com.
Scouts will also take unwanted or broken holiday lights to be recycled. Rushman asks residents wishing to do so to leave them next the tree in a box or bag.
For those needing a different option, the City will provide Christmas tree drop-off sites Thursday, December 25, through January 19, 2026, at these locations:
- Ballard Park – (3901 North 66th Street)
- Holmes Lake Park – (South 70th and Normal streets, parking lot west of north softball field)
- Oak Lake Park – (three blocks south of Cornhusker on North First Street)
- Tierra Park – (South 29th Street and Tierra Drive)
- Seng Park at University Place – (North 50th and Garland streets)
- Woods Park – (South 31st and “J” streets, southeast corner of the parking lot)
See a map of the drop-off locations at lincoln.ne.gov/TreeRecycling. All decorations, tinsel, lights, skirts, disposal bags and stands must be removed from trees. This is the 39th year for the City’s tree recycling service.
Residents also can contact their refuse haulers regarding tree disposal.