A Milwaukee couple started a Christmas tree pick-up business after the city stopped its collection

It was only on Tuesday that the City of Milwaukee's Department of Public Works announced it would no longer pick up real Christmas trees from the curb at the end of the holiday season, but one local couple has already stepped up to address residents' concerns about the change.

On Wednesday, Milwaukee couple Sam and Alyssa Wisneski launched "Milwaukee Tree Pick Up," a new company that, after Christmas, will pick up trees from the curb and take them to be composted.

"We heard the news, and we were thinking, 'Wow, that is a really big inconvenience for the people of Milwaukee,'" Alyssa said. "We have a truck and a trailer ... and I told Sam, 'Why don't you and your brother go pick up trees for people?' It was kind of a joke at first, but then we realized this could actually be a really good idea that could help a lot of people."

Residents can schedule a tree pick-up online, and their tree will be taken away within 72 hours, according to the Milwaukee Tree Pick Up website. Pick-ups will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 26, and run through January. If you schedule a pick-up online before Dec. 25, it will cost you a discounted rate of $25, plus tax. The price will increase for pick-ups scheduled after Dec. 25.

Milwaukee Tree Pick Up also benefits a good cause ― 10% of proceeds benefit Milwaukee Diaper Mission, a non-profit that provides diapers and period products to individuals and families in need. For Sam and Alyssa, this Christmas season, the mission has an extra personal significance.

"We just had our first baby four weeks ago, so we know the importance of diapers and the security that comes with being able to provide diapers for your baby," Alyssa said. "And, in coming up with this business, we wanted to find a way to give back ... because it's the holiday season, so we all want to find ways to give."

The Wisneskis' goal is to raise at least $1,000 for Milwaukee Diaper Mission. Customers can elect to make an extra donation to the non-profit when scheduling a tree pick-up online.

In addition to Milwaukee Tree Pick Up, the Wisneskis own two other local businesses ― Chillwaukee, a seasonal, hand-crafted popsicle company, and Sweet Little Box Co., which sells candles, candle-making supplies, soaps and gift boxes.

Sam said the couple was able to get Milwaukee Tree Pick Up off the ground and running so quickly because they already have an "awesome team of people" who work at Chillwaukee in the spring, summer and fall and are ready to assist with tree pick-up.

"I really just kept thinking about the Milwaukee resident who has just a normal-sized car ― or they have a bigger car, but, once a Christmas trees dies, pine needles will get everywhere," Sam said. "We literally didn't understand what people's other option was, ... and we don't want to see trees just littered on the street."

Why won't the City of Milwaukee collect Christmas trees from the curb anymore?

On Tuesday, Milwaukee's Department of Public Works sent a memo to Common Council members and the Mayor's Office which cited a change in a state Department of Natural Resources requirement as the reason why the city will no longer pick up Christmas trees from the curb.

"The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently revisited its longstanding interpretation that previously deemed Christmas trees as a household decoration," DPW marketing and communications officer Tiffany Shepherd wrote in the memo. "Instead, the DNR has clarified that it now considers holiday trees to be yard waste and thus subject to the State’s yard waste landfill ban. Communities are expected to manage them accordingly."

Shepherd wrote that residents will have to dispose of their trees at the city's two drop off centers or "make other arrangements." From Jan. 11-15, the DPW will provide additional temporary locations where trees can be dropped off, though staff will not be on site to help with unloading them or putting them in a collection area.

On Wednesday, the DNR said the change to the Christmas tree pick-up policy had been in the making for about a year. Kate Strom-Hiorns, DNR recycling and solid waste section manager, said, about a year ago, the DNR contacted the city about the state landfill ban that had been in place since 1993 and prevents yard waste from going to the landfill. The DNR also clarified, she said, that holiday trees meet the definition of yard waste in state statute.

This change in tree-disposal policy raised concerns among elected officials and prompted the scheduling of a special meeting of the Common Council's Public Works Committee to take place Monday.

"This change is going to be creating a huge problem for the city, as streets, alleys and vacant lots will be littered with thousands of discarded trees for months," Ald. Robert Bauman said in a statement.

The meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Monday at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., in Room 301-B.

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Journal Sentinel reporters Alison Dirr, Bridget Fogarty and Cathy Kozlowicz contributed to this report.