Saying goodbye to your Christmas tree?

From the City of Ottawa

Please remove all decorations from your tree and place it at the curb with your green bin no later than 7 am on your scheduled collection day. Trees will not be collected if they are wrapped in plastic bags, frozen in snowbanks or have decorations. 

Once collected, Christmas trees are taken to the City’s contracted organics processing facility or to the Trail Road Waste Facility. They are put through a composting process or are mulched and used to cover the garbage at the landfill.

Here are some wonderful reuse options that will keep the festive spirit alive:

• Leave the evergreen in your backyard to help provide shelter for wildlife and improve your soil as it decomposes. 

• Use trimmed branches as garden stakes and supports for vegetable vines, flowers and bushes.

• Use branches or pieces of tree trunk to make rustic garden edging. 

• Cut pieces bend and shape sticks to make tea candle bases, play dough stamps or hanging ornaments.

More tips on how to reduce waste can be found on Waste reduction and education.  

Donate it!

• Bring your tree to the National Capital Commission Christmas Tree drop off(link is external) so that it can be used along the Rideau Canal Skateway. The drop off location is on Colonel By Drive, just west of the Bronson Avenue bridge.   

• Reach out to the Vanderlaand Barnyard Zoo(link is external) who accept Christmas trees for their animals to enjoy.