Natural Christmas trees no longer accepted in landfill – Do not throw your Christmas Trees in the garbage this year

by Rhonda Massad

In the past those of us who did not have an artificial tree could take the decorations down after the holidays and place our holiday trees curb side with our garbage for the city to pick up. That is no longer the case since natural  Christmas trees are no longer accepted in land fill sites. 

Last year my former colleague,  Beaconsfield City Councillor Pierre Demers made a valiant effort to help  the residents of his district who did not connect with the city message by leaving notes for those who had deposited their Christmas trees curb side, then proceeded to pick up more than 90 Christmas trees and haul them to the local chalet for pick up mid January.   Those Beaconsfield residents who were out of Demers’ zone who put their trees to garbage would  have them sit there until the spring.

In an attempt to avoid a similar spring experience where brown Christmas trees lined Beaconsfield streets and also avoid a holiday tradition of picking up trees for his residents,  Demers addressed his community in the city’s monthly Contact Magazine. 

Joining his effort to keep us all informed I have included the rules of Christmas Tree pick up for  some West Island Cities.  Most cities offer pick up in January,  Beaconsfield does not offer any pick up service until the first spring green pick up – you are asked to bring your used to tree to a local park if you would like to dispose of your tree promptly after the holidays.  Dollard will use some of the trees to provide a wind break for outdoor rinks while Senneville will use the nicest ones to decorate for their Winter Carnival. 

Here is a list of dos and don’ts in several of the West Island cities:

DORVAL

The City of Dorval will hold two special pickups, on January 6 and 13, 2016 to collect Christmas trees placed in front of houses, by the curb (not ON the street). The collected trees will then be recycled.In order for the trees to be picked up, all lights, decorations, and nails must be removed. For more information, please contact the Public Works Department at 514 633-4046

KIRKLAND

Pick-up : January 5 to 11, 2016

Steps to follow:

Remove all ornaments from the tree;

Place it at the curb without planting it in the snow bank;

Make sure it does not obstruct the street or sidewalk.

Trees collected through this process are shredded into wood chips to be redistributed. Recycling one’s natural tree is taking a positive step for the environment!

If you miss the pick-up in your area, please contact the Public Works Department at 514 630-2727.

BEACONSFIELD

You can recycle your Christmas tree as of the second week of January. Remove the lights, decorations and garlands and bring it to Public Works at 300, Beaurepaire or a designated park chalet near you.

All natural Christmas trees are accepted. By participating in this collection, your tree will be recycled as wood chips used in city parks and green spaces. Christmas trees are not picked up with the regular garbage collection.

Make sure to recycle packaging papers (except metallic papers and ribbons), in recycling collections.

Participating Park Chalets:

Beacon Hill, 100 Harwood

Briarwood, 50 Willowbrook

Christmas Memorial, 424 Beaconsfield

Drummond, 200 Beaurepaire

Heights, 225 Evergreen

Montrose –  North of parking

Rockhill, 540 Beaurepaire

Shannon, 340 Preston

Taywood, 130 Taywood – corner Nassau

Windermere, 303 Sherbrooke

SAINTE ANNE DE BELLEVUE

Every year after the Christmas holidays, a special pick-up is scheduled in January for natural Christmas trees. The pick-up runs for a period of two weeks are on the household waste collection days. 

Steps to follow:

Trees must be free of decorations (including hooks and icicles).

Trees must be placed at the curbside (not in the snow).

Trees must not obstruct the sidewalk.

If you miss the pick-up in your area, please contact the Public Works Department 514-457-6844.

POINTE CLAIRE

Pick up – January 11, 2016

between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

All natural trees are accepted (fir, pine, spruce, birch). By participating in this collection program, your tree will be mulched and transformed into wood chips or compost instead of being discarded in a landfill site.

Reminders from Pointe Claire

Trees are accepted up to the following maximum sizes:

– Trunk diameter: 13 centimetres (5 inches);

– Height: 2.5 metres (8 feet);

All decorations must be removed.

The tree must be placed horizontally at curbside; do not put it vertically in the snow.

BAIE D’URFE

Before January 7, 2016

Please leave your Christmas trees, decoration‐free, by the roadside between Monday January 4 and Thursday January 7, 2016 inclusively. The trees will be collected and chipped to be used in our parks. For more information, please contact the Public Works department at 514 457‑2877.

DOLLARD DES ORMEAUX

Christmas trees will be collected on Wednesdays as of January 6, 2016 (the collection will continue on Thursdays and Fridays, if necessary). Please place them curbside before 7 a.m. on the day of the collection. Some of them will be used to make windbreaks around outdoor skating rinks and the others will be shredded.

SENNEVILLE

The Village of Senneville invites you to dispose of your Christmas tree

in an ecological way.

Deposit your tree at the curb after having removed all the decorations.

Our Public Works department will drive through the streets of Senneville to collect the trees and the nicest ones will be installed to embellish Senneville Park for its annual Winter Carnival.

At the end of the event, the trees will be shredded into wood chips that will be used in turn by the Village of Senneville or its citizens.

PIERREFONDS

Natural Christmas trees collection will take place on Wednesdays, January 6 and 13, 2016. To ensure pick-up, trees must be free of all decorations. They must be placed in front of the building, after 8 p.m. the night before and no later than 7 a.m. the day of pick-up.