With much of our tree canopy now bare, City crews will begin to sweep and clear leaves from streets starting this week.
Residents are asked to do their part by complying with all temporary “no-stopping” signs that will be posted the day in advance of cleaning activities.
If temporary “no-stopping” signs are posted, residents are required to move their vehicle(s) to another spot before 7 am on the date indicated on the signs. It is very important that vehicles are moved as it allows our crews to do a much better job of clearing all of the leaves from the street.
Vehicles that are not moved will be ticketed and will receive a courtesy tow to a nearby location. Vehicles with a SPARC permit will be returned to the same location once the street cleaning is completed.
Crews will begin their work Downtown and proceed south. Advance sweeping may occur on streets with a higher volume of leaves.
Residents are reminded not to rake or blow leaves onto the sidewalk, catch basin, bike lane or street. Leaves in the street create a safety hazard for pedestrians and cyclists and can cause flooding.
Depositing leaves in the street is prohibited under the Street and Traffic By-Law.
Residents are encouraged to rake leaves that fall on their property, the sidewalk, and boulevard and add them to their Green Bin.
Extra leaves that do not fit in residents’ Green Bins may be placed in paper yard waste bags or store-bought bins and set out for pickup on the following leaf collection weekends:
November 16 to 17 Note This weekend
December 14 to 15
January 11 to 12, 2020 (Christmas trees will also be collected)
Note Leaves set out in plastic bags will not be collected, including bags labelled as compostable or biodegradable plastic.
To avoid a missed pickup, residents should set their leaves out before 7 am on the scheduled Saturday. Residents’ leaves will be collected on Saturday or Sunday, but not both days. Green Bins will not be emptied on leaf collection weekends.
Leaves collected from City streets and during leaf collection weekends are turned into nutrient-rich compost at the Vancouver Landfill.
This compost can be purchased by residential gardeners, commercial landscapers, and municipal park boards. Leaves and other yard trimmings can also be dropped off for a fee at the Vancouver South Transfer Station located at 377 West Kent Ave North and at the Vancouver Landfill located at 5400 72 Street in Delta.