Residents can expect to see greener lawns and fewer branches on their properties as the City expands its yard waste collection program.
The program will run once a month on the last full week of the month between April and October, depending on winter weather. This is replacing the Spring Yard Cleanup and the Fall Leaf Pickup, which previously focused on bulk yard waste removal. The new service will encourage more residents to participate in the program. Once materials are collected, they will be sent to The Fredericton Municipal Soil Management Facility at the end of Beek Court off Vanier Industrial Drive.
This means less green material will get caught in the landfill, saving the City about $20,000 each year in tipping fees. Yard waste collected is then composted to create topsoil for City parks, flowerbeds, and construction sites. Last year, the City produced 8,000 cubic metres of topsoil from yard waste and that number is expected to increase in 2024. The program will also improve the quality and quantity of Fredericton’s topsoil.
“Residents have been asking for an initiative like this in our city because they don’t want yard waste going to the landfill,” said Coun. Kevin Darrah, Chair of the City’s Environmental Stewardship Committee. “This is an opportunity to divert yard debris from the landfill, which is better for the environment.”
The goal is to also provide residents with more options around lawn care at the same time as other City initiatives, such as Leave the Leaves, an initiative that provides winter cover for pollinators and amphibians with fallen leaves and dead plant material. There’s also No Mow May, a call to action that allows wildflowers on citywide lawns to bloom, providing a feast of nectar and pollen for native bees, butterflies, and other critters whose populations have been declining because of habitat loss, degradation, and climate change.
“There are people in Fredericton who care about the environment but do not wish to take part in initiatives like No Mow May,” said Jillian Hudgins, Environmental Strategist with the City of Fredericton. “This expanded program is a solution that will provide residents with another option to care for the environment and create positive change in our city.”
Yard waste will continue to be picked up by Fero Waste & Recycling Inc., on these dates:
- April 22-26
- May 27-31
- June 24-28
- July 22-26
- Aug. 26-30
- Sept. 23-27
- Oct. 21-25
Rules from the Spring Yard Cleanup and the Fall Leaf Pickup still apply to the new monthly initiative:
- Only compostable paper bags will be accepted, no plastic.
- Yard waste pick up is expected to coincide with regular garbage and recycling days.
- Pile yard waste bags separately from regular garbage.
- Yard waste should not be raked onto roads or sidewalks.
- Loose leaves will not be collected.
- Small, tied bundles of brush will be collected.
- Limbs and or branches are to be separated from other refuse so they can be shredded. Branches should be no bigger than 5 cm in diameter x 1.5 m in length (2” x 5’) and loose brush must be tied in bundles.