Place your tree at your regular cart collection location (front or alley) but away from your waste cart. Please ensure that all decorations, tinsel and lights are removed from your tree.
Christmas Tree Collection
For the past 30 years, the City of Lethbridge has partnered with local youth groups to ensure that Christmas trees continue to give after the holiday season. More than 1.5 million kilograms (approximately 95,000 Christmas trees) have been diverted from the landfill since the program began.
Information for Participating Households
This season's collection will take place Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Residents are reminded to place their trees out no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. Trees should be placed in the same place as your curbside waste carts as the youth groups follow maps based on that information.
All decorations, tinsel, plastic and tree stands must be removed. The trees must be totally bare to be ready for the chipper. Fundraising groups are instructed to not collect decorated trees so they do not damage the equipment.
Lastly, sometimes human error happens and trees get missed. While we expect the youth groups to be thorough, we also recognize they are not professional operations crews. If your tree is missed on collection day, contact 311 to arrange a pickup the following Saturday, January 17, 2026.
How should my Christmas tree be placed for collection?
What happens to the Christmas trees after they are collected?
Christmas trees collected during the program are diverted from the City’s landfill and chipped for environmentally-friendly mulch.
Are there other options for recycling my Christmas tree?
- Bring your tree to the Waste & Recycling Centre, Monday to Saturday.
- Request a Large Item Service and schedule a time to have Christmas trees picked up (trees collected with this option will be disposed of with regular waste).
What can I do with the rest of my holiday waste?
You can recycle many types of excess holiday waste like paper, cardboard, metal cans and plastics with numbers 1-7. Remember that wrapping paper, Styrofoam and plastic without numbers 1-7 cannot be recycled and must go in the black cart.
Please, no Styrofoam or wrapping paper in your blue cart!
Click here for more information on What's In and What's Out.
What are some other ways to reduce waste this season?
Check out the Create Memories, Not Garbage campaign for great ideas to celebrate with waste-wise choices.
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Contact Us
City Hall
910 4 Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 0P6
Phone: 311
or 403-320-3111 (if outside of Lethbridge)