While there is nothing more festive than setting up a natural Christmas tree and decorating it, the time to put away decorations and take down the tree is here.

You may have read recommendations from organizations like the Nature Conservancy of Canada suggesting that leaving your tree in your backyard can provide much-needed shelter from wind and snow for non-migratory birds and small wildlife during the winter months. As the needles fall off in the spring, they become nutrients for your lawn.

But if your tree has to go, here is what local municipalities have planned.

Champlain Township is asking residents to place their Christmas trees at the curb prior to January 3 in order to have them picked up. This special collection will take place from January 3 to January 9, 2023. Note that trees should have been placed at the curb by January 3 at 7 a.m. No vehicle will return to an area if pickup has already occurred. Ensure trees are behind the curb and not in the path of the snowplows.

Basic instructions

  • Remove all decorations from the Christmas tree.
  • Do not place the tree in a plastic bag.
  • Place the tree with the base facing the street.
  • Make sure the tree is not covered in snow and is not obstructing the sidewalk.
  • When snow is expected, make sure the Christmas tree is not obstructing the road to facilitate loading.

Hawkesbury and East Hawkesbury

The Town of Hawkesbury has two specific pickup days planned for Friday, January 13, and Friday, January 20, 2023, when residents can place their Christmas trees at the curb for pickup.

In Alfred-Plantagenet, residents must deliver their Christmas trees to one of the following locations between December 26 and January 31, 2023.

There are four locations designated as tree drop-off points.

Township of East Hawkesbury residents should have placed their trees at the curb by early January 3; collection will take place from January 3 through January 6, 2023 inclusively.

Township of Russell

In the Township of Russell, residents can drop off their natural Christmas tree at the designated area at the Russell or Embrun arenas between January 1 and 5, 2023

  • At the Embrun arena, the drop-off is at the North East corner of the property near the outdoor rink.
  • At the Russell arena, the drop-off is just North of the building near the Lions club sign.

At press time, we had no details about Christmas tree disposal in the Township of North Glengarry, The Nation Municipality or Casselman.

Argenteuil

In the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil in Québec, residents of five of its municipalities may dispose of tree branches and wood at their local Écocentre, where large waste items are received for disposal.

Residents of Brownsburg-Chatham, Lachute, and St-André-d’Argenteuil may take wood and tree branches to the Écocentre, located at 507 rue Catherine in Lachute. The facility is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tree branches and wood are not accepted at the other Brownsburg-Chatham Écocentre located on Montée Cushing.

In the village of Grenville and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Christmas trees are accepted at the Recyclage Foucault Écocentre, located at 21 chemin de l’Écocentre in the village. However, the facility only operates by appointment during the winter months. Grenville and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge residents wishing to use the Écocentre to dispose of Christmas trees must call 819-242-8181 and arrange a time to drop it off.