Kelowna Yard Waste Guide for Fall and Spring

In Kelowna, yard waste goes in your curbside yard waste cart. The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) empties it every other week from March 1 to December 31. Leaves, grass, pine needles and small branches all go in loose, never in bags. When the cart is full, haul the extra to the Glenmore Landfill or the Asquith Road Transfer Station. Fees apply at both.

Who picks up yard waste in Kelowna?

The RDCO runs curbside yard waste for single family homes in Kelowna. It also covers West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country and Electoral Area East. Environmental 360 Solutions (E360S) does the actual pickup for the RDCO.

Garbage goes every week. Yard waste goes every other week. Recycling also goes every other week, on the weeks yard waste doesn't. So on any pickup day, your garbage cart goes out with one of the other two.

Live in an apartment or condo? This cart program is for single family homes. Your building handles its own waste.

When is yard waste pickup in Kelowna?

Every other week from March 1 to December 31. There's no yard waste pickup in January or February. That makes December your last chance to clear fall leaves at the curb this year.

To find your day, open the RDCO's 2026 collection calendar. Find your street on the Kelowna map. It shows your weekday and whether you're on Week A or Week B. Then match that colour on the calendar. The calendar also points you to an app that sends reminders.

What	2026 detail
Yard waste season	March 1 to December 31
How often	Every other week
Cart at the curb by	7 a.m. on pickup day
Friday, December 25 pickup	Moves to Saturday, December 26
Friday, January 1, 2027 pickup	Moves to Saturday, January 2

Pickup still runs on stat holidays. Only Christmas and New Year's Day move.

What goes in the Kelowna yard waste cart?

The RDCO accepts these in the yard waste cart:

• Leaves and grass clippings
• Pine needles and cones
• Weeds and plant trimmings
• Fruit droppings, handy if you have an old apple or cherry tree
• Pumpkins, once Halloween is over
• Small amounts of bark mulch
• Branches and prunings up to 5 cm (2 inches) across and under 1 m (3 feet) long

Pine needles and fruit droppings are common in Okanagan yards. Both are welcome in the cart.

What stays out of the cart?

• Bags of any kind. That means plastic, paper and compostable bags too.
• Dirt, sod, rocks and tree stumps
• Kitchen and food waste
• Landscape fabric, edging and flower pots
• Large amounts of bark mulch. It makes the cart too heavy.
• Street sweepings, sand and gravel
• Pet waste and cat litter

The bag rule trips up a lot of people who moved here from other cities. In Kelowna, you dump the leaves into the cart loose. Bags stay home.

How do you set out your cart?

Put it out by 7 a.m. on pickup day, and not the night before. The RDCO asks for that to cut down on wildlife getting into carts. Then follow these rules:

• Wheels against the curb. No curb? Use the road shoulder or your lawn.
• Leave 1 m (3 feet) between your cart and anything else.
• Keep it out of bike lanes and off the sidewalk.
• Close the lid. Anything that doesn't fit stays behind.

Missed pickup? Call E360S at 250-868-3211.

What if your cart is too small in fall?

The standard yard waste cart holds 240 L. You can upgrade to a 360 L cart. You can also ask for up to two more 360 L carts. Fees apply for both.

In Kelowna, cart changes go through the City, not the RDCO. Use the curbside cart change request form, or call the City's Revenue Department at 250-469-8757.

A bigger cart is worth it if you have big maples or a row of pines. If you only have one heavy week a year, a landfill run may be simpler.

Where do you take extra yard waste in Kelowna?

You have two drop-off spots. Both charge a fee. Before you drive, tie a tarp over the load. The RDCO says material must be secured and covered on the way to any disposal site.

Glenmore Landfill

The Glenmore Landfill is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It's closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Yard waste has a minimum charge, and big loads are priced by weight. Most of it gets ground up into GlenGrow, the landfill's own compost.

Asquith Road Transfer Station

This one is at 2640 Asquith Road in West Kelowna. It's open Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gate closes at 3:50 p.m. It's closed Tuesday to Thursday. Yard waste is charged by the bag or by the load.

One catch: Asquith is for homeowners only. The RDCO says no businesses or landscapers. Dirt, rock and sod go to Glenmore, too.

Can you burn leaves in Kelowna?

No. The RDCO lists leaves, grass clippings and other plant debris as prohibited materials to burn. Burning them can bring a fine. Use the cart, a drop-off site or your own compost bin instead.

How do you keep the cart from freezing?

Pack it loosely. The RDCO warns that overpacked carts can freeze. A frozen cart won't empty when the truck tips it. On pickup morning, check that the lid opens and the leaves are loose.

Wet leaves packed down hard are the worst for this. Try to put them in dry. In snow, set the cart on a cleared spot, not on or behind a snowbank. Brush snow and ice off the lid. If snow delays the truck, leave the cart out until it's emptied.

How can you make less yard waste?

Leave grass clippings on the lawn. The City of Kelowna suggests it in its water smart tips. Clippings break down fast and feed the grass.

You can mow over thin layers of leaves the same way. Our guide to mulching leaves with a lawn mower explains when that works and when the layer is too thick.

A backyard composter takes the rest. The RDCO sold them in March 2026. Check its programs page for the next sale. Food waste digesters are different. They can't take grass or leaves.

When should you do fall and spring cleanup in Kelowna?

For fall, keep mowing while the grass grows. At the airport, the average first fall frost is around September 28. Grass slows after that, but it doesn't stop on that date. The City suggests mowing at 6 to 9 cm (2.5 to 3.5 inches). Our last mow of the season post covers when to stop.

Don't let it get long. Bylaw No. 8133 says grass can't top 8 inches (20.32 cm). If you ignore an order for 10 days, the City can do the work and add the cost to your property taxes.

For spring, carts start again March 1. The average last spring frost at the airport is around May 10. So March and April are good months to clear branches and old leaves while pickup is back.

Pulling weeds during cleanup? Our partner crews don't spray, and we don't give chemical advice.

Can a local crew handle your Kelowna cleanup?

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

Your crew can do a full spring and fall cleanup, including leaves, pine needles and bed cleanup. They can trim shrubs into cart-sized pieces and keep up regular mowing until the grass stops. Ask how they handle haul away, since Asquith Road doesn't take landscapers.

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

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

Kelowna Yard Waste Questions

Rules change, so check with the City and the RDCO before you plan. Sources: RDCO yard waste, RDCO curbside collection, RDCO 2026 collection calendar, Asquith Road Transfer Station, Glenmore Landfill, Glenmore Landfill rates, RDCO open burning, RDCO composting, City of Kelowna water smart, Managing Your Lawn factsheet, Bylaw No. 8133, Kelowna climate normals.