MILWAUKEE – The City of Milwaukee WILL pick up natural trees at the curb this year, beginning the day after Christmas. It will be a special collection, and trees will be separated from regular trash and mulched. Earlier this month, the Department of Public Works, citing new guidance from the DNR, announced residents would be required to take their trees to drop off centers after the holidays.
Common Council members at a public hearing earlier this month panned the instruction, calling it “amateur hour” and predicting the city would be littered with, “…10,000 trees at the curb in March.”
Today, the Council announced that DPW will begin special collections on December 26th. Natural trees are to be free of ornaments and decorations, and be taken to the curb unwrapped. Some trash and recycling schedules may be affected.
“Curbside tree collection following Christmas is a valuable service that our residents utilize and plan around,” said Alderman Robert Baumann in a statement. “Many were upset when that service was set to disappear on short notice before the holidays. As such, the Council acted to ensure that tree collection would continue this year.
The City says residents are still welcome to take care of it themselves, taking trees to drop-off centers during regular hours.
Additional information can be found here: Milwaukee.gov/holidaytrees