City staff endorse curbside Christmas tree collection after successful trial

A curbside Christmas tree pilot project may become the norm in London after a successful run in January.

Following the holidays, the city ran a pilot project to collect trees and greenery as an alternative to setting up the usual collection depots around the city. Around 11,700 trees were collected curbside and at EnviroDepots on two Saturdays in January.

In a report going to the Civic Works Committee Tuesday, staff are recommending the city to permanently adopt the curbside collections, allowing for a green waste week in January 2018. If approved, the curbside pickup would take place during the week of Jan. 8 to 13.

EnviroDepots would also be open for three additional days to accommodate Londoners who prefer to drop off their trees themselves.

The cost of the pilot project was $60,000. An additional $8,500 was spent to promote the project. Staff say the curbside pickup won’t come at any additional cost to taxpayers over the previous drop-off depot system.

The meeting of the Civic Works Committee starts at 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.