With crisp weather in Vancouver this past week, it's almost that time of year for raking up fallen leaves.
While it may be tempting to just collect them in a pile to jump in, here's how the city hopes you'll take care of leaves.
First of all, the city asks residents to not rake or blow leaves onto the street, sidewalk, bike lanes or into a catch basins as it could cause flooding or be a safety hazard.
Anyone caught raking or blowing leaves onto the street could be fined under the street or traffic bylaw a minimum of $100 and up to a whopping $10,000.
Any time of year, leaves and other yard trimmings can be put into green bins. Any leaves that don't fit into green bins can be picked up on a special collection weekend.
Those weekends include:
- Oct. 26 and 27
- Nov. 16 and 17
- Dec. 14 and 15
- Jan. 11 and 12
Those extra leaves should be put into paper bags or store-bought bins. They'll be picked up either on Saturday or Sunday of the special collection weekend – not on both days – so to avoid missing a collection the city recommends putting leaves out before 7 a.m. on the Saturday.
The bags or bins of leaves can be put in the same area that green bins are usually emptied as green bins won't be emptied by the city on those weekends.
Crews will also remove leaves from streets on a regular basis starting in November. Leaves are not cleared from sidewalks, however.
Anyone who wants to lend an extra hand to help clear leaves is encouraged to participate in the city's "adopt a catch basin" program. According to the City of Vancouver, there are 45,000 catch basins city-wide and leaves, debris and litter can block them, causing flooding.
Anyone who notices flooding in their neighbourhood can report it through the city's app.
