City encourages alternate options for leaves this fall

As leaves begin falling across the city, there are several great ways you can manage them on your property.

“As a designated Bee City, leaving your leaves where they fall is an option we encourage as they provide excellent shelter for pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths in the cold winter months,” said Yogesh Shah, Deputy City Manager of Infrastructure Services. “Mulching and composting is also a great alternative that provides rich nutrients to your lawn.”

For those looking to remove the leaves quickly, bagging them for yard waste collection is encouraged as yard waste is collected consistently through October and November.

“Bagging leaves not only helps residents clear them earlier, it keeps roads safe, since leaves on the road can be slippery for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. Placing leaves on the road can also obstruct catch basins and create pooling water over the road” said Shah.

The Region of Waterloo’s yard waste collection runs until November 24.

The City’s roadside collection program also continues this fall. The program makes it easier for residents to get leaves from City owned trees removed, but residents are reminded to only rake leaves to the roadside just before their collection date, “Staff work hard to collect the leaves based on our schedule, but if they are put out too early, they can blow away or create a hazard on the roadside,” said Shah. “This work is weather dependent as well, that means that if it snows or temperatures drop to freezing, it impacts our ability to collect the leaves. If there is a lot of snow or freezing, staff shift their focus to winter maintenance.”

Roadside collection begins in early November and runs until early December.

To learn more about your options for leaves this fall visit, cambridge.ca/leafcollection