You’ll have a little longer to get your yard cleaned up for fall. NEW this year, curbside yard waste collection continues until the end of December.
Bi-weekly fall yard waste pickup ends Tuesday December 31. That’s the last day in the Central Okanagan for the curbside yard waste pickup program until collection resumes again March 2, 2020. In previous years, yard waste was collected only until the end of November.
Waste Reduction Facilitator Rae Stewart with the Regional District of Central Okanagan says the additional service for local residents should come as welcome news to many.
“Residents have been asking for extended yard waste service for many years now, especially in the fall where yard clean up can take a good deal of time and effort to complete. Dependent on the year and the weather, often those leaves don’t fall until very late in the season, so this will allow for a longer window to get your yard taken care of before winter.”
You’re reminded to put your yard waste out for collection by 7 a.m. on the morning of your regular garbage day. To determine your yard waste collection week, you can refer to the Living Greener Calendar, download the handy Recycle Coach App or visit the RDCO website.
Stewart adds all the yard waste collected curbside is given new life by composting and reusing it, so it’s important to keep what you put in your cart to only yard waste. “Plastic bags, flower pots, rocks, sod, kitchen scraps or garbage, any of that will contaminate the final product and needs to be left out. We collect close to 15 thousand tonnes of green material from the curb annually, all of that is composted and turned into the soil enhancer GlenGrow, which you can use in your garden come springtime.”
Accepted items include:
PUMPKINS
Leaves
Wood chips, bark
Pine or other tree needles
Garden plants
Grass clippings
Fruit droppings
Branches and pruning’s up to 5 centimetres (2 inches) in diameter and less than one metre (3 feet) in length
If you’re looking to upgrade your yard waste cart, contact your municipality or visit the RDCO website.