MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee will address its new Christmas tree pickup policy on Monday.
The new policy was announced by the city last week, stating that it will not pick up Christmas trees from the curb starting this year.
The Public Works Committee will hold a special meeting about the new policy on Monday, at 9 a.m at the Milwaukee City Hall on Water Street and Kilbourn Avenue.
According to the Department of Public Works, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently clarified a rule classifying trees are yard waste, not holiday decorations. Yard waste is subject to a statewide landfill ban.
According to the DNR, the rule is decades old.
"In [previously] talking with Milwaukee, we realized that their interpretation and maybe other municipalities in the state, they might have had a different interpretation of what is included in yard waste," said the DNR's Kate Strom Hiorns.
With curbside curbed, the City still has two Drop Off Centers and plans to create temporary sites from January 11 to January 15, 2024. All decorations must be removed from trees before they will be accepted.
The existing Drop Off Centers are open from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They are located at:
- South: 3879 W Lincoln Avenue
- North: 6660 N Industrial Road (must enter Industrial Road from Mill Road)
The temporary locations are yet to be determined by DPW. Its website says the locations will be announced this month.
The DNR said it's now working to find out if other municipalities may also be interpreting the law differently and dumping trees in landfills.
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