MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's Department of Public Works says it will once again collect your curbside Christmas tree, a sudden about-face after the department told residents they'd have to dispose of trees on their own or drop them off at city collection sites.
The change was made in a special DPW committee meeting held Monday.
"We'll endeavor to put something out that we'll back off this drop-off only. We hear you loud and clear," said Milwaukee Sanitation Services Manager Rick Meyers.
Public Works Committee Chair Rober Bauman said a resolution should be presented at tomorrow's Common Council meeting directing DPW to collect the trees.
Multiple members of the committee criticized DPW during Monday's meeting, including Alderman Mark Borowski.
"This is amateur hour. This is really amateur hour. And I go back to the elementary question of why city government exists. It's customer service. What do people pay taxes for? Customer service," said Borowski.
The DPW had announced the policy just last Tuesday, citing a change to a state DNR requirement that newly classified used Christmas trees as yard waste.
"The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently revisited its longstanding interpretation that previously deemed Christmas trees as a household decoration," DPW said in its December 5 announcement. "Instead, the DNR has clarified that it now considers holiday trees to be yard waste and thus subject to the State’s yard waste landfill ban. Communities are expected to manage them accordingly."
In response, the DNR said it's never made changes to its policy and suggested that Milwaukee had a different interpretation of the law.
The decision to no longer collect curbside trees prompted swift and vocal opposition, with both city leaders and residents wondering why the DPW had waited until many had already purchased their trees to make the change.
In Monday's meeting, Meyers said DPW had been notified by the state of non-compliance with its landfill ban in January of this year. But, Meyers added, the department believed the state could still update its position so DPW had waited to announce its new policy.
"We could've gone earlier. But we were thinking, it's not timely. The message would've got lost if we communicated this in July," said Meyers.
"Well, quite frankly, that's not your call to make," said Alderman Jonathan Brostoff in response.
The details of how the city will collect trees at curbside still needs to be sorted out, according to Meyers. But DPW told TMJ4 News that once collected, all trees will be recycled.
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