City yard waste collection from households begins, runs through late November

The city will spend the next two months picking up yard waste, including leaves, grass clippings, and branches.

City of Edmonton waste collectors are gearing up to accept yard waste from residents during their fall cleanup over the next two months.

Starting Monday through Nov. 24, households with curbside collection will get two yard waste collection days in addition to their regular waste disposal via carts.

People can place their yard waste into clear plastic or double-ply paper bags and put them out for pickup.

Ryan Hefford, a city refuse collector, says one thing residents can do to make his and his colleagues’ jobs easier is to “package everything as light as possible.”

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“If you have an abundance of it, just put out a couple more bags than usual,” Hefford told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. “Don’t try to stuff it all in one bag.”

Hefford said people can put out tree branches as well and asks people to cut them to three feet in length to make it easier for crews to pick them up and put them in a hopper.

Residents can find out their collection dates through the city’s WasteWise app or its website.

Alternatively, residents can drop off their yard waste for free at one of the city’s four eco stations or the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.

Elm wood

With Dutch elm disease’s arrival to Edmonton last year, residents are asked to keep elm wood separate from yard waste and to refrain from placing it into their garbage carts.

Residents can dispose of elm wood immediately by burning it or by taking it to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. Elm wood is not accepted at eco stations.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein