With the new year approaching, Okotoks residents will look to dispose of their Christmas trees.

Those in a rush can drop their trees off at the Operations Centre parking lot, near the corner of N Railway Street and 32 Street E.

Trees can also be disposed of through curbside pickup, though that service won't be available until the week of January 13.

Paul Lyons, Waste Services Manger for Okotoks, says there are a few rules for those leaving trees out for pickup.

"If the trees are bagged when (residents) put them out, they will not be collected. Not even in a compostable bag. This affects the machinery we're using to do the chipping, so we want them free of all decorations, all bags, just the trees."

Bags and decorations can cause the machinery to jam or break.

The Town is expecting to complete the curbside pickup route within a week, with no specific pick-up time in different communities.

"Our collection crew will be out, and do street by street until we're done," Lyons said.

The Town chips hundreds of trees each year, and it is expected they will complete the process by the end of January.

 

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