MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Common Council had a special session to address the Department of Public Works’ announcement that they would not collect Christmas trees. There was one question that every Council member eluded to: How did this happen?
Rick Meyers is the Sanitation and Recycling Manager for the City Of Milwaukee, and testified to the Council. He revealed the DPW received a noncompliance letter in January of 2023 from the Department of Natural Resources. It stated the collection of Christmas trees from residents’ front yards was not proper practice because the trees are land waste and not decoration. Instead, residents should take them to designated areas for the trees to be composted. The DPW waited until the beginning of December to announce that information, much to the dismay of the Council.
Alderman Robert Bauman had called the special session, and wasted no time critiquing the alternative plan.
“If everyone did what you’re saying there would be lines miles long, people sitting in their cars burning gasoline,” said Bauman. “They would end up dumping them on Lincoln Memorial Drive and going home.”
The Council pressed Meyers on the decision to withhold the information until December.
“We did not want to say anything that the state was going to walk back,” said Meyers.
“But that is not your call to make,” responded Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs.
Alderman Russel W. Stamper was emphatic that suspending tree collection should have been brought up when the Common Council was discussing the city’s budget.
Alderman Westmoreland asked “what are we going to do for the people this negatively affects” at least three times.
Following the hearing, Alderman Bauman said the Common Council will introduce a resolution on Tuesday, December 12th, to instruct the DPW to conduct the normal operations for tree collection. If that does pass, Milwaukee citizens will still be able to put their Christmas trees out for collection like they do every year.
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