Holiday Waste Reduction and Recycling

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City employee loading a Christmas tree into a waste vehicle

a person picking up a stack of delivered packages at the front door

The holiday season is filled with decorations, parties and presents — and that often means a lot more waste. Reduce, reuse and recycle to decrease your holiday waste. It’s the best gift you can give to the planet!

Christmas Tree Collection and Recycling

Natural Christmas Tree Collection

Curbside collection of natural Christmas trees runs from January - February.

We only visit each neighbourhood once and not necessarily on your regular collection day. To avoid getting missed, make sure your tree is out by 7am and we will collect it within the next 4 weeks.

In preparation for pick-up:

Please do not bag your tree. It should be placed loosely, next to your garbage and recycling bins.
Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel, garlands, nails, screws and tree stands. This allows us to chip and compost your tree.
Cut trees larger than 2 metres (6.5 feet) into smaller pieces. This keeps your collector safe.

Missed your neighbourhood’s tree collection day? Live in a condo or apartment? Want to help Waste Services reduce its carbon footprint? You can drop off your tree at:

A Recycling Depot at anytime from December-February
An Eco Station during regular operating hours

Artificial Christmas Trees

No longer need your artificial tree? Donate it to a local charity, second-hand store or the Reuse Centre.

If your artificial tree is in poor condition:

Take it to an Eco Station (a small fee applies), or
Place it in your black garbage cart (lid must fully close). Be careful not to stuff it tightly in your cart, as this may prevent it from sliding out during collection

Holiday Waste Reduction Ideas

Give Waste-free Gifts

Give experiences, like a day pass to an attraction, gift card to a restaurant or class at a local studio
Give your time and skills, like a night of babysitting, cooking lessons or home maintenance repair
Give subscriptions, like a membership to a streaming service or monthly delivery from a local business
Give consumables, like locally-roasted coffee, teas, soaps or treats
Make a donation to a local charity in a friend or family member’s name
Give pre-loved items, like toys and books
Give quality items that can be used again and again
Shop local rather than ordering online to reduce packaging waste

Wrap Gifts Wisely

Wrap gifts with reusable materials, like a scarf, piece of cloth, gift box or gift bag
Reuse old maps, posters and newspaper as gift wrap
Reuse the front of last year’s greeting cards as gift tags, then recycle them
Save gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons and bows to reuse next year
Make your own cloth gift bags to use for years to come

Decorate for Lasting Memories

Choose quality decorations that will last many seasons
Buy pre-loved decorations at local non-profit and thrift stores
Donate unwanted holiday items to the Reuse Centre or a local non-profit organization
Follow the Reuse Centre on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest for tips on how to make decorations with reused items
Recycle your natural Christmas tree

Plan your Festive Feasts

Check your cupboards and plan your meals before grocery shopping so you don’t buy doubles
Try using an online portion calculator to plan the amount and variety of foods needed for your meal
Use what you already have: for example, instead of using disposable cups for guests, use your everyday, reusable drinkware
Adjust recipes to suit the size of your group
Make a plan to store and use your holiday leftovers
Send holiday leftovers home with guests
Freeze holiday leftovers for future quick meals

Recycle Right During the Holidays

Put It In

Put the following items in your blue bag or apartment blue bin:

Paper gift wrap
Cardboard
Boxes (break down, remove packaging and put in garbage)
Metal food cans
Foil trays and pie plates
Plastic clam-shells
Plastic bottles and jars
Stretchy plastic bags (stuff into one bag and tie closed)
Beverage containers

Keep It Out

Keep the following items out of your blue bag or apartment blue bin:

Batteries (Eco Station) - learn more about battery disposal and e-waste.
Tissue paper (save for next year, Reuse Centre or garbage)
Paper cups and plates (garbage)
Bows and ribbons (save for next year, Reuse Centre or garbage)
Bubble wrap ( Reuse Centre or garbage)
Plastic packaging (garbage)
Styrofoam packaging (recycle at an Eco Station or garbage)
Styrofoam cups and takeout containers (garbage)
Broken Christmas lights (Eco Station)

Be WasteWise

Make sure your holiday waste goes to the right place. Use WasteWise online or download the free app for your mobile device to find what goes where.

Waste Reduction Updates

Contact Us

Telephone	In Edmonton: 311 Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311
Email	wastesupport@edmonton.ca