Leaves are falling around the city, which means municipal crews are gearing up for the annual neighbourhood leaf collection.
In Victoria, residential leaf pickup gets underway on Monday, Oct. 19 in the James Bay, Fairfield, Rockland, Gonzales and South Jubilee neighbourhoods.
The city depends on residents to help out by piling unbagged leaves onto boulevards ahead of time. The public is also reminded to remove them from around storm drains, which can clog up and cause flooding during heavy rains.
The city annually collects about 7,000 tonnes of leaves from its urban forest of more than 40,000 trees. The leaves are ground up and used for mulch in city parks.
The pickup schedule sees the Oaklands, Fernwood, North Jubilee and Hillside-Quadra neighbourhoods on the list beginning Nov. 9, and starting Nov. 30, pickups happen in the Victoria West, Burnside Gorge, North Park, Harris Green and Downtown neighbourhoods.
The start dates for each neighbourhood are weather dependent, with flood-prone areas prioritized for pickup during storms. Crews will return to scheduled routes once storms subside.
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A second round of neighbourhood pickups begins Nov. 30 and continues through December.
City residents wishing to dispose of leaves themselves have other options, including dropping them at the public works yard at 417 Garbally Rd. The year-round service is available Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and proof of residency is required.
Between Oct. 26 and Dec. 6, leaves can also be dropped at Topaz Park in the Glasgow Street parking lot (off Topaz Avenue), Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. And from Nov. 1 to Dec. 13, dropoffs can be made at the Beacon Hill Park works yard, 100 Cook St., on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m.
For more details, go online and visit bit.ly/3j9dpTa. To call for pickup within five business days, call 250-361-0600.
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