Disposal of Christmas trees in Toronto is really quite simple, and pickup by city garbage collectors is happening over the course of the next few weeks.

Now that the holiday season has come and gone (unless, of course, you follow the Julian calendar), the 100,000 or so households that had decorated trees are going to want (and need!) to get them out of the house before their needles shed completely and end up everywhere.

But there is a proper way to do this... unlike in the photo above!

The City of Toronto outlines instructions for setting out your dead tree. Basically, it needs to be stripped of all decorations (including tinsel) and the stand, and left unwrapped on the curb for pickup on a specific date (preferably the night before!). Pickup date depends on where you live, so be sure to first consult the waste collection calendar for your area, and look for the tree symbol.

This year was the first time in my life that I've had a real tree (I caved and blame my lovely, super-festive girlfriend, who hasn't gone a year without one and was rather insistent that we put up a real one in our living room). I have to admit that despite the guilt and selfishness that comes with contributing to the death of a poor tree, it was a fun experience picking it up at the nursery at Fiesta Farms, and hauling it home on the roof of the car. And it smelled amazing in our place for the entire holidays. Whether or not we have one next year is now the subject of much debate!

Lead photo by rvnix.