Fredericton Leaf and Yard Waste Guide: Pickup Weeks, Bags and Drop-Off

Fredericton picks up yard waste once a month, in the last full week of the month, on your regular garbage day. This fall, the two pickup weeks left are October 26 to 30 and November 16 to 20. Leaves must be in compostable paper bags. Branches go in small bundles tied with natural twine. Miss a week? The City's soil facility on Beek Court takes leaves any time until it closes for the season.

How does yard waste pickup work in Fredericton?

The City runs curbside yard waste pickup about once a month, from April to November. It happens in the last full week of each month. Your truck comes on your normal garbage day that week.

Have everything at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on that day. Setting it out the night before is the easy way to make that time.

Here are the fall 2026 weeks:

Month	Pickup week
September	September 21 to 25 (done)
October	October 26 to 30
November	November 16 to 20 (last of the year)

Note that the November week is earlier than the rest. It's not the last full week of the month. Mark it on your calendar now.

Bags set out in any other week stay at the curb. The City won't pick them up.

Is there still a separate fall leaf pickup?

No. Fredericton used to run a Spring Yard Cleanup and a Fall Leaf Pickup. In 2024 the City replaced both with the monthly service. So your fall leaves now go out in the October and November weeks, like any other yard waste.

That's handy, but it means fewer chances. Two weeks are left this year. Plan your big rakes around them.

How do you put out leaves in Fredericton?

The rules are short. Bags that break them get left behind.

• Leaves go in compostable paper bags only.
• Plastic bags won't be collected.
• Loose leaves won't be collected.
• Don't rake leaves into the gutter or the street.
• Pile yard waste apart from your garbage and recycling.

A few tips help the bags make it onto the truck. Rake when the leaves are dry, so the bags stay light and don't tear. Fold the top over so wind can't empty them. Stand the bags up close together at the curb.

Not sure which bags hold up best? Our post on yard waste bags vs bins covers the trade-offs.

What size can branches be?

Brush and branches have their own rules. Keep them apart from your leaf bags.

• No thicker than 5 cm (2 inches) across.
• No longer than 1.5 m (5 feet).
• Tied in small bundles with natural twine.

Use natural twine, not plastic rope. Your branches get shredded and composted with everything else. Thicker limbs have to go to the drop-off instead.

Who gets curbside yard waste pickup?

Most homes in the city do. The service covers single and double homes, individual townhouses and condos. It also covers apartment buildings with four or fewer units.

Areas added to Fredericton through New Brunswick's Local Governance Reform are included too. The one catch: the truck has to be able to reach your property.

Live in a bigger building? Ask your property manager how leaves are handled.

What if you miss the pickup week?

You have a few choices. The City asks you to store yard waste in a dry spot on your property until the next pickup week. Wet paper bags fall apart, so a garage or shed works best.

No room to store it? The City says you can put it in your weekly garbage instead. Or take it to the Municipal Soil Management Facility.

Some material doesn't meet the curbside rules. That can go straight to the Capital Region Service Commission Landfill.

If your bags were set out right and still got left behind, call Service Fredericton at 506-460-2020. You can also email service@fredericton.ca.

Where can you drop off leaves in Fredericton?

The Municipal Soil Management Facility is on Beek Court, in the Vanier Industrial Park. It's open 24/7 during its season, which runs between April and November.

The drop-off is more flexible than the curb. Here's what it takes:

• Leaves, loose or in paper bags
• Grass clippings
• Sod and soil
• Woodchips
• Brush and branches under 8 cm (3 inches) across
• Manure

It won't take plastic bags, branches thicker than 8 cm, logs, stumps, lumber, garbage or food scraps. Branches from diseased ash or elm trees aren't accepted either. Fredericton is fighting emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease, and moving that wood can spread them.

Everything collected ends up at this site. The City shreds the brush and composts the rest into Grade A topsoil. That soil goes back into City parks, trees and projects. It isn't sold or given away.

When should you finish fall cleanup in Fredericton?

Aim to have the bulk of it bagged for the October 26 to 30 week. Use the November 16 to 20 week for the last leaves off the oaks and maples.

The weather backs that plan. At the Fredericton airport, the average first fall frost comes around September 25. October averages 7.5°C a day. November drops to just 1.5°C.

November is also wet. It averages 92.9 mm of rain, plus about 14.3 cm of snow. Wet leaves get heavy and mat down on the grass. Frozen piles are even worse to rake.

At the end of November, the average snow depth is 3 cm. By the end of December, it's 14 cm. Fredericton gets about 252 cm of snow a year, so leaves left on the lawn sit under it until spring.

Keep mowing while the grass still grows. Our guide to the last mow of the season shows when to stop. The fall lawn cleanup checklist covers the rest of the yard.

Do you have to rake every leaf?

Not always. The City itself makes the case for leaving some leaves. It says fallen leaves feed the soil as they break down. They make good mulch for gardens and flower beds. They also shelter bees and butterflies through the winter.

A light layer on the lawn can be chopped up with the mower. Our post on mulching leaves with a lawn mower shows how. Thick, wet piles are different. They smother the grass, so rake those up or move them into your beds.

For more on the trade-offs, read should you leave leaves on your lawn.

Does Fredericton have a grass height rule?

No. The City says its unsightly premises by-law has no set grass height for private property. Still, a tidy last cut before snow makes spring cleanup easier.

On weeds: our partner crews don't spray. New Brunswick banned the sale and use of more than 240 lawn pesticide products in 2009, and Golden Oak gives no spray advice.

Can someone do your Fredericton fall cleanup for you?

Yes. Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local crew in Fredericton. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee.

Your crew can handle a full fall cleanup: raking, bagging in paper bags, bundling branches and clearing beds. They can keep up regular mowing until the grass stops. Ask whether they'll time the bags for the City's pickup week or haul them away.

We measure your lawn from satellite images, so no one needs to visit. Your price depends on lawn size, leaf volume, slopes, gates and haul away. It comes by text in 60 minutes. You get the same crew every visit and a photo after every cut. Book the Worry-Free Lawn Season and your first cut is free.

More local notes are on our Fredericton lawn care page. Down the road? See our Moncton fall yard waste guide.

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

Fredericton Yard Waste Questions

Rules change, so check with the City before you plan. Sources: City of Fredericton yard waste, City news on monthly yard waste pickup, Engage Fredericton, No Mow May, New Brunswick pesticide rules, Fredericton climate normals.