MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee announced this week its sudden decision to end curbside Christmas tree pickup. Soon after, a new company was swiftly formed to help residents dispose of their trees while also supporting a local cause.
Milwaukee residents can schedule a tree pick up with "Milwaukee Tree Pick Up." The company will send a team to your curb to collect and then compost the tree. According to a news release, "the company hopes to help reduce the number of trees thrown in the streets and disposed of incorrectly."
Milwaukee Tree Pick Up will donate 10% of profits to Milwaukee Diaper Mission. The nonprofit provides diapers and period supplies to families in need. Milwaukee Tree Pick Up hopes to donate over $1,000 to the organization this holiday season.
Tree pick-ups can be scheduled online now and will begin Dec. 26, 2023. Residents can schedule a time to leave their trees curbside, and they will be picked up within 72 hours. For tree pickups in December/January, it will cost $25. The rate will be increased after Dec. 25, the company says.
Alyssa and Sam Wisneski are the Milwaukee couple behind the company. They also own two other businesses in the city: Chillwaukee Pops and Sweet Little Box Co.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said a difference in "interpretation" of the law could be behind Milwaukee's decision to end curbside Christmas tree pick-up.
In a memo to the Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) said the DNR recently clarified that it now considers holiday trees to be yard waste and not a household decoration. Under a 1980s law, that would make the trees subject to a yard waste landfill ban.
However, just a day later, the state said it did not send any recent communications to Milwaukee or change its interpretations of the law.
- City of Milwaukee no longer collecting curbside Christmas trees
- DNR responds to Milwaukee ending curbside pickup for Christmas trees
"In [previously] talking with Milwaukee, we realized that their interpretation and maybe other municipalities in the state, they might have had a different interpretation of what is included in yard waste," said the DNR's Kate Strom Hiorns.
Hiorns said once the DNR was aware Milwaukee was dumping trees into landfills, they reached out to the city. According to Strom Hiorns, the DNR and the City had conversations in early 2023 about how to end the violation, including ending curbside pickup.
TMJ4 News reached out to the DPW to ask — was the city operating outside of state law or misinterpreting the law? DPW responded that "everything" will be addressed at Monday's Public Works meeting.
The City is holding a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 11 to discuss the new DPW policy.
With curbside curbed, the City still has two Drop Off Centers and plans to create temporary sites from Jan. 11 to Jan. 15, 2024. All decorations must be removed from trees before they will be accepted.
The existing Drop Off Centers are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They are located at:
- South: 3879 W Lincoln Avenue
- North: 6660 N Industrial Road (must enter Industrial Road from Mill Road)
The temporary locations are yet to be determined by DPW. Its website says the locations will be announced this month.
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