Dear PoP – Christmas tree disposal?

Photo by PoPville flickr user sciascia

“Dear PoP,

When it was time for me to dispose of my old Christmas tree New Years weekend, I was told by a neighbor that the protocol is to put the tree in the plant box (in between the sidewalk and street) in front of our apt and they will come pick it up. Usually we throw our trash out back in the alley where the garbage cans are, but I figured this made sense, to avoid Christmas trees from blowing all around the alley from the wind and blocking cars from being able to get through back there. After I put my tree out front, it seemed that the rest of my neighbors followed suit, because now there’s 6 or so trees lining our street in front of our row houses on the 1400 block of Harvard St; however, it has been a couple weeks and none have gotten picked up. I’m wondering what the tree disposal protocol is – where to put them to get picked up and who gets them, if there’s an alternative group to the trashmen who will come recycle the trees, etc? How does everyone else do it in our neighborhood?”

In late Dec. DPW advised:

DPW will collect holiday trees (please remove ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc.) between Monday, January 3, and Saturday, January 15. Place your trees in the treebox space in front of your home, or adjacent to the curb (but not in the street). Please put your tree out for collection between Sunday, January 2, and Sunday, January 9. After January 15, you may put your tree where you put your trash and recycling and we will collect it from there, depending on the truck’s capacity.