Yard Waste

There is a special collection of leaf and yard waste in both the Spring and Fall.

Fall Pick Up: October 19 to November 20

Spring Pick Up: April 19th to May 14th

Residents are asked to place leaf and organic yard waste at the curb along with their regular solid waste on their regular collection day. Leaf and yard waste must be contained in bio-degradable paper bags or reusable containers such as garbage cans or blue boxes. Plastic bags containing leaf and yard waste will not be collected during these special pickup periods.

The City instituted the "paper bag" policy in the Fall of 2008.

Throughout the year, residents are encouraged to:

• Utilize mulching techniques to reduce volume of leaves.
• Utilize backyard composters
• Deliver leaf and yard waste (please no shrubs, large branches or brush) to the City's Compost Facility located at the City Landfill Site. Please de-bag all leaves contained in plastic bags.
• In 2008, we composted 480 tones of leaf and yard waste!

Loose Wood, Trees, Bushes, Hedges, etc.

All stacks of branches or wood must be tied in tightly bound bundles. The bundles must never be more than 1 m. (3 feet) in length or more than 1 m. (3 feet) in diameter or weigh more than 27 kg. (60 lbs.). Yard debris may be placed in a standard garbage bag not less than 762 mm. (30 in.) or more than 1,270 mm. (50 in.) or in a standard refuse container, but in no case can the weight exceed 27 kg. (60 lbs.). City residents are encouraged not to put yard debris out for garbage collection, but rather compost.

Discarded Christmas Trees

Discarded Christmas trees will not be collected as regular curbside garbage. Discarded Christmas trees will be collected separately during the week of:

Monday, January 4, 2010 through Friday, January 8, 2010

Simply place your tree at the curbside after 7:00 p.m. the night before, or prior to 7:00 a.m. on the day of your regular solid waste collection.

Composting

Composting turns kitchen and yard waste into a dark, nutrient-rich material called compost. If you have a garden, a lawn, trees, shrubs, or even plant boxes, you can use compost to improve the soil and plant growth. When compost is used on your lawn or garden it retains the moisture and nutrients necessary for plant growth. Kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings, egg shells and coffee grounds make excellent compost. You can also  compost yard wastes such as the remains of garden plants, fallen leaves, grass clippings, and weeds before they seed.

Do not compost the following materials:

• Meat
• Chicken
• Fish
• Bones
• Milk
• Mayonnaise
• Salad Dressing
• Vegetable Oil
• Lard
• Peanut Butter

Composting these materials will increase odours and risk attracting scavenging animals and insects.