The District of Squamish is expanding its yard waste pilot project, heretofore restricted to Garibaldi Highlands, to the whole community.
In November, the municipality will offer residents that currently pay for garbage services free yard waste pickup.
“Everybody in the community will get two services through November,” said Rod MacLeod, the district’s solid waste project manager.
In August, the municipality started collecting garden trimmings in Garibaldi Highlands as district staff analyzed the volumes it diverted from the landfill. The move followed a study in the spring that indicated 56 per cent of residential waste was potentially compostable — 38 per cent food, 12 per cent yard waste and five per cent clean lumber.
Approximately 250 Garibaldi Highlands residents used the pilot project service per run, which equated to approximately four tonnes of garden waste for each pickup, MacLeod said.
“We expect November to be a lot busier than that,” he noted, adding it’s typically the fall cleanup month.
The yard waste will be chipped and composted at the Whistler Waste Transfer Station. Residents will be limited to four bags, tied bundles or garbage cans of material, weighing no more than 25 kilograms. No food, animal litter, plastics, compostable bags, lumber or invasive species should be placed in with the garden trimmings.
The service will hit Valleycliffe, downtown, Hospital Hill, Loggers Lane and the North Yards on Nov. 3 and 17 — both Saturdays. Garibaldi Estates, the Highlands and Brackendale will be serviced on the Saturdays in between — Nov. 10 and 24. Material must be curb side by 7:45 a.m.
For more information on the district’s yard waste collection service, visit www.squamish.ca.
