Here's what to do with your Christmas tree after the holidays

Christmas has come and gone, and that means many people will soon be getting rid of their trees. The City of Montreal is urging residents to check its collection schedule so the trees can be recycled.

Starting Jan. 2, the city estimates it will collect about 20,000 real trees – similar to other years.

Philippe Sabourin, the city’s spokesperson, said that’s about 300 tons of recycled Christmas trees, “equivalent of the weight of 15 STM buses!”

Each borough will have two designated dates for pickup. Sabourin says to make sure trees are unwrapped and stripped of all its decorations since they’ll be turned into wood chips for the city to use.

But the prettier trees will have a different fate, said Sabourin, and will be used to decorate ice rinks.

Shirley Brennan, head of the Canadian Christmas Trees Association says donating your tree is another option.

“There are farms that maybe have wildlife or there are rehabilitation centres for wildlife, or just animals in particular. They also ask for Christmas trees,” she said.

Farmers who grow Christmas trees insist the practice does benefit the environment, since one acre of pine trees provides the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.

And even though many trees are thrown out right after the holidays, Brennan says tree farming is a sustainable business.

“You have to understand that when one tree is cut down, two to three seedlings are planted in its place,” she said.

If you're planning to throw away your tree, make sure it’s on the curb by 7 a.m. on pickup day.