The Streets Division will begin the final round of Christmas tree collection on January 21, 2020.

Residents who wish to have their trees collected at the curb should have them out and ready for pickup by 7:00am on January 21.

Trees that have been set out at this time and in accordance to the below rules will likely be collected sometime between January 21 and February 7, depending on workload, weather conditions, and crew availability.

Placing a tree to the curb after 7:00 a.m. January 21 may result in missing the final curbside collection opportunity. Trees set out late may not be collected until the regular brush collection begins in the spring.

The Rules for Christmas Tree Collection
Failure to follow the below list of rules may result in the tree not being collected.

• Remove all tree stands regardless if they are metal, plastic, or wood.
• Remove all tree decorations such as lights, ornaments, or other metal objects.
• Remove any tree bags, and any other foreign object.

The above listed items may damage the wood chipping equipment used to process collected trees, so they must be removed.

Where to Place Your Tree for Collection
Trees must be placed at the public road edge, and must be accessible by collection crews.

What Happens if It Snows
Residents must remove trees from the snow if they become buried.

Collection crews will not be able to collect ones that are concealed or inaccessible due to snow.

The Streets Division is the primary agency responsible for servicing city streets during snow and ice events. If conditions require, crews will be diverted from tree collection to assist with maintaining the roads. This may slow down the collection process.

Wreaths, Boughs, Etc.
Wreaths, evergreen rope, garlands, and boughs will not be collected with Christmas trees.

Do not place them at the curb for pickup.

Place these into the refuse container for disposal. Evergreen decorations like wreaths and so on likely contain wires that can damage the wood chipping equipment, and they may also contain an invasive species.

Drop-off Sites
Madison residents may also bring their Christmas trees to one of the Streets Division drop-off sites.

The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the southwest side and at 4602 Sycamore Ave. on the east side.

The drop-off sites are open from 7:30am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday.

Sites will be closed on January 20, 2020 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Additional Information
Additional information regarding tree collection, and other winter-related city operations, can be found on the City of Madison’s Winter website, www.cityofmadison.com/winter.