Kick it to the curb or save it for the birds: how to get rid of Christmas trees in Montreal

With the holiday season wrapped, it’s time to get rid of your Christmas tree.

The City of Montreal is launching its annual tree collection for most boroughs on Wednesday.

The city is asking residents to place trees at the curb after 7 p.m. the night before collection or before 7 a.m. on collection day.

Pickup times and dates vary by borough. They are as follows:

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville: Jan. 8 and 22
• Anjou: Jan. 8 and 15
• Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: Jan. 8 and 15
• Lachine: Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29
• LaSalle: Jan. 8 and 15
• Le Plateau-Mont-Royal: Jan. 6 and 23
• Le Sud-Ouest: Jan. 2 and 16
• L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève: Jan. 8 and 15
• Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: Jan. 8 and 15
• Montréal-Nord: Jan. 8 and 15
• Outremont: Jan. 13
• Pierrefonds-Roxboro: Jan. 8 and 15
• Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles: Jan. 15
• Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie: Jan. 8, 15 and 22
• Saint-Laurent: Jan. 6 and 20 and Feb. 3
• Saint-Léonard: Jan. 6 and 13
• Verdun: Every day in January
• Ville-Marie: Jan. 8, 15 and 22
• Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension: Jan. 8, 15 and 22

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The city says that every year, more than 25,000 trees avoid the landfill and are turned into wood chips to be used for energy recovery.

Residents should also keep in mind that their trees should not be in bags and that all decorations, including hooks and tinsel, should be removed to ensure workers’ safety during the shredding process.

Creating An Ecosystem In your Own Backyard

Instead of kicking the tree to the curb the Nature Conservancy of Canada suggests you take it from the living room and install it outside in the yard.

“It’s a great opportunity to see ecology in your own backyard” said Communications Coordinator Sarah Hoida.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a great opportunity to see ecology in your own backyard" said Communications Coordinator Sarah Hoida.

By keeping the tree Hoida said it will help provide local birds like goldfinches and chickadees with shelter during the long winter months.

The tree branches and trunk can provide habitat, hold moisture and help build up the soil, mimicking what happens with dead trees and branches in a forest.

Hoida says come spring time, as the tree decomposes, it will be a great source of enrichment for the garden.

Officials are also asking that the base of each tree is facing the street and that the tree is not covered in snow or blocking the sidewalk.

Residents can also recycle trees at any of the city’s seven eco-centres.

— With files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier and Brayden Jagger Haines