Shifting from holiday fun to Christmas cleanup, Londoners are being reminded where they can dispose of their trees.
The City of London is asking residents to take Christmas trees and other unwanted winter greenery to one of the city's EnviroDepots. The three depots located at 1450 Oxford Street West, 28 Clarke Road, and 21462 Clarke Road are open Wednesdays and Saturdays. To help with the anticipated post-holiday surge in demand, the depots will host three special drop-off days outside of their regular operating hours. They are as follows:
Thursday, December 28 from noon to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, January 2 from noon to 5 p.m.
Sunday, January 7, from noon to 5 p.m.
All decorations, tinsel, garland, tree skirts, and lights need to be removed from trees destined for the EnviroDepot.
Londoners looking to help out feathered friends in their neighbourhood can also place their Christmas tree in their backyard as a bird habitat for the winter months. Then in the spring, trees that are three metres or shorter can be placed at the curb for regular yard waste collection. This is the only time the discarded trees will be picked up at the curb as the city did away with after Christmas curbside tree collection in 2020.
Helpful tips are also being offered to assist Londoners sort their recycling and trash. Gift wrap and bags, clementine boxes, plastic toys, ribbons and bows, styrofoam and bubble wrap, as well as dirty paper napkins, towels and plates should be placed in the garbage.
Boxes should be broken down, flattened, and tied into bundles no larger than 75cm x 75cm x 30cm. Flattened cardboard can also be stacked inside the blue box.
Fats, oils and grease, like gravy leftover from Christmas dinner, should be poured into a City of London fats, oils, and grease (FOG) cup and never dumped down the drain. The FOG cups are free and can be picked up at the city's EnviroDepots.
Full FOG cups can be dropped back off at an EnviroDepot in order to be used to generate green energy. According to the city, one full FOG Cup can be turned into enough energy to power a refrigerator for an entire day.
Anyone unsure of what can and can't be recycled is advised to download the Recycle Coach app. In addition to answering recycling questions, the app offers personalized collection calendars and collection reminders.
