Moncton Fall Yard Waste Guide: Leaves, Bags and Branches

In Moncton, fall leaves and grass clippings go in your green organics bag. Green bags are picked up every week, all year. Orange or paper bags work too, but only for leaves and yard waste. Bundled branches go out with the City's Bulk Waste Collection, which you book ahead. Big loads can go to the Eco360 facility in Berry Mills.

How does yard waste pickup work in Moncton?

Moncton sorts waste into three bags. Green is for organics. Blue is for recycling. Clear is for garbage.

Your green bags go out every single week. The other two take turns. One week the truck takes green and clear bags. The next week it takes green and blue.

That weekly green bag is your main tool for fall leaves. There's no separate leaf pickup day. You just add your leaf bags to your regular green bag day.

To find your day, use the address tool on the Eco360 Residential Services page. The free Eco360 app shows the same calendar. It can send you pickup reminders too.

What yard waste goes in the green bag?

Eco360 runs the region's compost program. It lists these yard items for the green bag:

• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Garden plants and flowers
• Weeds
• A little soil
• Sawdust and wood chips

Keep plastic, glass and metal out. Those are hard to screen out at the plant. A plant pot or a bit of plant tag can spoil a load.

Your bags end up at the Eco360 compost facility in Berry Mills. It takes in up to 100 tonnes of material a day. Your leaves come back as Category A compost.

Can you use orange or paper bags for leaves in Moncton?

Yes. Eco360 prefers green bags. But orange bags and paper bags are fine for leaves and yard waste only. Don't put kitchen scraps in them.

Paper bags stand up on their own, so they fill fast. Orange bags are light and easy to store. Either way, tie or fold them shut so the wind can't open them.

Not sure which to buy? Our post on yard waste bags vs bins lays out the trade-offs.

Can you put leaves in a bin at the curb?

You can, with limits. The City suggests a closed container for green bags. It stops animals and wind from tearing them open.

• The container can't be taller than 30 inches (76 cm).
• Large storage bins are fine in the yard, but not at the curb.
• Anything that isn't picked up has to be put away by 7 p.m.

The City can refuse waste that isn't sorted or packed the way its waste by-law, P-424, says. So bag everything. A loose pile of leaves at the curb stays there.

How do you get rid of branches in Moncton?

Branches don't go in the green bag. They go out with Bulk Waste Collection. The City runs it year-round on a five-week rotation, so each area gets a turn about once every five weeks.

Here's what the bulk truck takes for yard waste:

• Bags of yard debris
• Branches tied in bundles
• Each bundle no longer than 4 feet (about 1.2 m)
• Each bundle no heavier than 50 pounds (about 23 kg)

There's a limit of five items per pickup. Black garbage bags aren't accepted.

How do you book bulk pickup?

You have to book it. Call 506-383-7020 before 5 p.m. on the Friday before your bulk day. Or fill out the City's online form by the Sunday before.

Put your items out no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before. They have to be out by 6 a.m. on pickup day. Set them on the street that matches your civic address, not a side street. On a corner lot, that matters.

Apartment and condo buildings with more than 5 units aren't part of this service.

Loose branches and leaves won't be picked up. The City lists them as non-collectable if they aren't bagged or bundled.

Where can you drop off yard waste in Moncton?

Got more than the curb can handle? Take it to Southeast Eco360. It's at 100 Enviro Drive in Berry Mills.

Day	Hours for residents
Monday and Tuesday	7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday to Friday	7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday	8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday	Closed

The Public Drop-Off has a free section for residents. Properly sorted green bags go there at no charge. Loose yard waste goes to the pay section instead.

For a really big load, Eco360 also has a yard waste site. It's meant for residents with large amounts and for commercial clients. Check Eco360's fee list before you go.

The late hours Wednesday to Friday help if you rake after work.

When should you finish fall cleanup in Moncton?

At the Greater Moncton airport, the average first fall frost lands on October 4. October's daily average is just 7.6°C. Grass slows down, but it keeps growing for a while after the first frost.

So don't stop mowing too early. Our guide to the last mow of the season explains how to tell when the grass is done.

Snow is the real deadline here. Moncton averages 325.3 cm of snow a year. That's more than Fredericton or Saint John. Leaves left on the lawn get buried for months.

Plan your last big rake before the first snow sticks. The City won't collect bags set on ice or a snowbank, or in a spot that isn't cleared of snow. Once the snow comes, leaf bags get much harder to put out.

Why rake the leaf litter at all?

The City warns that ticks live in tall grass, shrubs and leaf litter. They can be active any time it's above 0°C. That includes many fall days in Moncton.

A cleared yard gives ticks less cover near the house. It also keeps the edges of beds and walkways clean.

A thin layer of leaves can be chopped into the lawn instead. Our post on mulching leaves with a lawn mower shows when that works. Thick, wet piles still need raking and bagging.

Does Moncton's tall grass rule still apply in the fall?

Yes. Tall Grasses By-law Z-1418 says grass and weeds can't be taller than 20 cm (about 8 inches). That counts the strip of street in front of or beside your land, too.

Fines are multiplied for each day it goes on. Neighbours can report tall grass to the City online.

A mild fall can keep the grass growing. Keep the last few cuts on schedule so you don't head into winter with a shaggy lawn.

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

Can someone handle the fall cleanup for you?

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

Your crew can do a full fall cleanup: raking, bagging and clearing beds. They can keep up regular mowing until the grass stops. Ask how they plan to handle the bags and branches. Some yards fit the weekly green bag. Bigger ones need a haul 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 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 Moncton lawn care page. In the capital? See our Fredericton page.

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

Moncton Yard Waste Questions

Rules change, so check with the City before you plan. Sources: City of Moncton waste collection, bulk waste collection, Eco360 residential services, Eco360 composting, Eco360 Public Drop-Off, Eco360 yard waste site, Tall Grasses By-law Z-1418, City of Moncton environment, New Brunswick pesticide rules, Moncton climate normals.