Christmas tree collection begins Monday, January 5. Here are the guidelines for Barrie, Orillia and areas served by Simcoe County.
BARRIE
Christmas trees are collected weekly in January (beginning the first full week of the month and ending the last full week). Place Christmas tree curbside by 7am (4:30am in the downtown BIA) on your regular curbside collection day. Christmas trees will be collected before end of day Friday. The collection contractor may adjust collection vehicle routing throughout the month to aid in efficient collection. Please ensure trees:
- are free of plastic wrap/bags, decorations, and stands
- are visible at the end of the driveway, and are free from snow and ice
- are not placed on top of, or stuck into, snowbanks
- are at least 2 ft (.06 metres) from organics/garbage carts (carts need at least 2 ft of space all around to be collected)
- do not exceed 1.8 meters or 6 feet in length
Trees taller than 1.8 m (6 ft) must be cut in half to fit in the collection truck.
Barrie residents can also drop off Christmas trees at the landfill for free for composting (must be free of ornaments, bags, stands and plastic of any kind).
ORILLIA
Christmas trees are collected during the first three full weeks following Christmas.
Natural trees only.
During the collection period, please set out your Christmas tree by 7:00 a.m. on your regular collection day. Placing them out too soon can result in the trees getting covered in snow and making them difficult for our collection crew to find. It can also lead to the trees freezing into the snow bank, making them difficult to remove.
Please remove all lights, wires, tinsel, ornaments, nails, metal/wood tree stands and other materials that are not part of the original tree.
No plastic bags please.
Trees will be taken to the Waste Diversion Site to be mulched and composted.
SIMCOE COUNTY
Biweekly Christmas tree collection starts the first full week of January. Place your Christmas trees at the curb by 7 a.m. on the MONDAY of your garbage week. Collection will occur sometime during the week.
How to I prepare my Christmas tree for collection?
Follow these guidelines to ensure your Christmas tree is collected:
- Remove plastic tree bags, decorations, lights, stands and tinsel
- If tree is longer than 2 metres, cut into smaller sections
- Clear an area at the end of your driveway
- Do not place in a snowbank
- Must be free from snow and ice
- For curbside service, Christmas Trees must be on a municipal road. In order to get Christmas tree collection on a seasonal or private road, residents may rely on a Common Collection Point (CCP).
What happens to my Christmas tree after collection?
Material collected from Christmas tree collection is used for mulch or donated to Ontario Streams who uses it for fish and wildlife habitats. Click here to learn more!
