For as long as many people can remember, the Region of Waterloo has picked up their discarded Christmas trees at the curbside every year, a program that annually costs $540,000. But as participation has dwindled over the past five years to less than three per cent of the population, the government has opted to send the program to the shredder and pass on the savings to taxpayers.
According to director of waste management Olivia Kwok, it was time for something new, which led the region to a partnership with Family & Children’s Services that will see those same Christmas trees picked up for a suggested donation of $20.
