Milwaukee Christmas tree disposal, DPW directed to continue pickup

MILWAUKEE - The city of Milwaukee is changing its Christmas tree pickup plans – but residents can still expect the service this season.

The Common Council is making it so the Department of Public Works will continue the practice this year after uncertainty arose a week ago.

"This is amateur hour! This really is amateur hour!" said Ald. Mark Borkowski.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

It's a decades-old routine in Milwaukee. Every year after the holiday, people leave trees at the curb for the city to pick up. Last week, though, the city said it wouldn't do so this year because the DPW said it violates state statutes.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers trees yard waste, not holiday decorations. Yard waste is banned from landfills. The DPW admitted to the Common Council on Monday it first found out about that statute nearly a year ago.

Christmas tree set outside for pickup

"You were informed about this change last January? That was the earliest you heard about it?" said Ald. Jonathan Brostoff. "And your plan was to let us know now?"

The DPW said it failed to communicate the policy change because it came too early. They thought it would get lost in the shuffle.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

"People are pissed off. I’m pissed off about it," said Ald. Lamont Westmoreland. "The people have been failed, and I feel like I’m hearing a bunch of excuses as to why."

The Common Council said the solution is simple.

"We’re going to direct the Department of Public Works to pick up the Christmas trees like they have in the past," Ald. Robert Bauman said. "How they pay for it? They’ll have to figure it out."

The DPW took responsibility for not bringing this up sooner. The Common Council hopes this serves as a lesson about how to prevent situations like this from happening in the future.