How to dispose of real Christmas trees and excess holiday waste

As some of us begin ‘wrapping’ up the holiday festivities, the City of Vaughan is reminding everyone where to dispose of real Christmas trees, broken glass ornaments and old electronics. 

Real Christmas tree collection

During the weeks of Jan. 7 and Jan. 14, the City of Vaughan will collect real Christmas trees in both blue and yellow zones on your scheduled collection day. For example, if you live in the yellow zone and your collection day is Wednesday, you can put your Christmas tree curbside on Wednesday, Jan. 8 or Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Keep these set-out requirements in mind:

• Remove all tinsel, ornaments and stands from the tree.
• Do not put the tree in a plastic bag. 
• Do not place the tree on the road or on top of snowbanks. 
• Ensure your tree is less than two metres (seven feet) in height. Cut the tree in half if it exceeds this height.

Artificial trees are collected as garbage and must be bagged.

Broken glass

If you have broken glass, such as damaged ornaments, safely place the pieces in a cardboard box, seal shut and label “broken glass,” and place at the curb on your garbage collection day.

Old electronics

If you’ve upgraded your devices recently, you may be looking to dispose of old ones. Electronic waste (e-waste) – such as cellphones, cables, computers, televisions, headphones, video game consoles, printers and more – can be safely disposed of at a York Region Waste Depot. Do not place e-waste in the garbage or blue box. 

There are a couple of other environmentally friendly options for getting rid of your old electronics:

• Donate gently used or old – but in good working condition – electronics to friends and family, a local charity or a second-hand shop. 
• Visit recyclemyelectronics.ca to search Vaughan’s nearest retail recycling location by postal code.

Double-Up Days

The City’s Double-Up Days program is back during the weeks of Jan. 7 or Jan. 14, 2025, depending on your scheduled collection day. Instead of the regular three-item limit, you can place up to six garbage items curbside, and no paid garbage tags are required.

Here are some reminders for Double-Up Days: 

• Place your items at the curb in the morning, when possible, and no later than 7 a.m. on your collection day. Crews will not return for items set out late.
• Large or bulky items, such as mattresses, chairs and tables, can be placed curbside, and each piece counts as one item toward the six-item limit. Read the guidelines for setting out large or bulky items for more details. The City reserves the right to refuse unsafe, overweight, or oversized items.
  • The City also picks up toilets curbside. Two-piece toilets must be disassembled to be collected, as outlined in this short video.
• Large mirrors and glass tables set out for collection must be wrapped in cardboard and clearly labelled “glass.”
• Large metal items and appliances, such as dishwashers and refrigerators, are collected by appointment on Thursdays only. Book an appointment and pay online through Service Vaughan or call 905-832-2281. For more information, visit the City’s appliance and metal pick up webpage. 
• All household hazardous waste (such as batteries, cleaners and paints) and electronic waste (such as cellphones and laptops) are not collected curbside and must be taken to a York Region Waste Depot for safe disposal.

Holiday collection schedule changes

Remember, there is no waste collection on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Here is the collection schedule for that week:

• Wednesday, Jan. 1 collection is moved to Thursday, Jan. 2.
• Thursday, Jan. 2 collection is moved to Friday, Jan. 3.
• Friday, Jan. 3 collection is moved to Saturday, Jan. 4.

Think before you toss!

If you don’t know where to dispose of an item, use the search function in the online ‘What Goes Where?’ sorting tool to check. You can also download the free Recycle Coach app from the Apple App Store or Google Play for more sorting help. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put to the curb each week. 

To learn more about waste collection in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

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