Here's what you can do with your old Christmas tree in Ottawa
Christmas trees for sale in Ottawa's ByWard Market on Friday. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
As you prepare to take down the Christmas tree for the season, it could still be of use in some areas of Ottawa.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at some options for your Christmas tree in Ottawa.
Rideau Canal
The National Capital Commission would like to give your Christmas tree a new lease on life along the Rideau Canal Skateway after the holiday season.
You can drop off your tree on Colonel By Drive, just west of the Bronson Avenue Bridge. The NCC will reuse the Christmas trees at a rest area when the Rideau Canal Skateway opens.
Kichi Sibi Winter Trail
You can drop off your Christmas tree at the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail at Remic Rapids.
The trees will be used to block the wind and "keep the winter cheer for the rest of the season", Kichi Sibi said on Instagram.
There should be no tinsel, no nails and no lights on the tree.
Fisher Park Outdoor Rink
The Fisher Park Outdoor Skating Rink in Wellington Village is collecting trees for its rink this winter.
You can drop off your tree at the rink on Holland Avenue.
Vanderlaand The Barnyard Zoo
The Vanderlaand at the Barnyard Zoo in Winchester Springs is collecting Christmas trees for the critters.
"The animals like them and it gives them something different to eat, compared to just grain and hay," Vanderlaand The Barnyard Zoon says.
All trees should be decoration free.
Vanderlaand the Barnyard Zoo is located at 11827 Oak Rally Road/County Road #5 in Winchester Springs.
City of Ottawa
Ottawa residents can put their Christmas tree out at the curb on the regular collection day for the green bin.
You are asked to remove all decorations.
Christmas trees in plastic bags or frozen in a snowbank will not be collected, according to the city.
"Christmas trees placed at the curbside for collection are taken to either the City’s contracted organics processing facility or the Trail Road Waste facility based on operational requirements," the city says on its website.
"They are either put through a composting process or are mulched and used on the tipping face as a beneficial cover material – a regulatory requirement for the City.
Keep your Christmas tree
The city of Ottawa offers some tips for use of your Christmas tree at home
- Leave it in the backyard to provide shelter for wildlife and improve your soil as it decomposes
- Use trimmed branches as garden stakes and supports for vegetable vines, flowers and bushes
- Use branches or pieces of tree trunk to make rustic garden edging.
- Turn trunks or branches into a craft or décor project.
- Small, trimmed branches make an excellent base for composting with lots of airflow. Stack them four to six inches from the ground.
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