Nanaimo Yard Waste and Leaf Collection: A Fall Guide

In Nanaimo, leaves, grass and light trimmings go in your green cart. The City empties it every week. Put it at the curb by 8 a.m. on collection day, not the night before. Pack leaves loosely, and never use plastic or biodegradable bags. Branches don't go in the cart. Take them, and any extra yard waste, to the Regional Landfill on Cedar Road.

Does Nanaimo pick up leaves and yard waste?

Yes, through the green cart. The City's pages don't list a separate bag pickup for leaves. Everything rides in the same cart as your food scraps.

The City serves about 32,000 homes this way. That covers single-family homes up to fourplexes. Apartments, stratas with more than four units and mobile home parks don't get City carts. If that's you, ask your building manager or strata how yard waste is handled.

Your green cart goes out every week. Garbage and recycling take turns, every other week. So even in a heavy leaf week, you get a fresh, empty cart seven days later.

The leaves don't go to a dump. The City hauls green cart loads to the Circular Waste BC facility at Duke Point. There, they're composted indoors.

What can go in the green cart?

Yes, put these in

• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Light trimmings from plants and shrubs
• Paper yard bags, newspaper or BPI certified compostable liners

No, keep these out

• Branches
• Soil, sod and rocks
• Wood, sawdust and wood scraps
• Plastic bags of any kind, including "biodegradable" ones

The City is firm on bags. It says plastic bags are the worst thing people put in the green cart. Biodegradable bags are banned too, since they can leave bits of plastic in the compost. If a bag doesn't show a certified compostable logo, skip it.

Spot weeds or moss while you rake? Our partner crews don't spray, and we don't give chemical advice.

How do you pack leaves so the cart empties?

This is where most Nanaimo fall pickups go wrong. Wet leaves stick. The truck tips the cart, and half the load stays jammed inside.

The City's own tips help a lot:

• Line the bottom with newspaper or flat cardboard.
• Drop leaves in loosely. Don't stomp them down.
• Add grass clippings in small amounts, in layers, and let them dry first.
• Close the lid all the way. Overfilled carts won't be collected.

Nanaimo's weather makes this harder in late fall. At the airport, October averages about 102 mm of rain. November is the wettest month of the year, at about 197 mm. Leaves raked in November are often soaked.

So rake on a dry day when you can. If the cart is full, hold the rest under a tarp until next week's pickup.

What time and where do you put the green cart out?

Have it at the curb by 8 a.m. on your collection day. The City asks you not to put it out the night before. Food scraps in the cart draw wildlife, and a cart sitting out all night invites trouble. Keep it in a garage or shed until morning if you can.

Placement matters too, because the truck uses a mechanical arm:

• Leave 1 m (3 ft) between carts.
• Keep carts 1 m (3 ft) from cars and other things.
• Leave 3 m (10 ft) of clear space above, away from tree branches.
• Point the lid arrows toward the middle of the street.
• Don't block the sidewalk, bike lane or driveway.

That overhead rule catches people in fall, when wet leaves weigh branches down. If a low branch hangs over your usual spot, move the cart along the curb.

Does a holiday change your pickup day?

Yes. Nanaimo uses an "add-a-day" schedule. There's no pickup on weekends or City holidays. After a holiday, your pickup moves one weekday later for the rest of that week.

Your route sets your pickup day. To see it, check the collection calendar on nanaimo.ca or the free Nanaimo Recycles app. The Zero Waste Hotline at 250-756-5390 can help too. It's open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where do branches and extra yard waste go in Nanaimo?

When the green cart is full, or you have branches, the City points you to a drop-off site. Its What Goes Where tool lists them.

The main one is the Regional Landfill, run by the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN). It's the only landfill in the region.

Regional Landfill	Details
Address	1105 Cedar Road, near the city's south edge
Hours	8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week
Closed	Statutory holidays (but open Easter Monday)
Phone	250-722-2044

The landfill takes yard waste, including invasive plants. It charges a flat fee for loads up to 100 kg (about 220 lb), then a rate by weight above that. Check the RDN rates page for this year's fees.

Tie down or tarp your load. The RDN adds an extra charge for unsecured loads.

Can you burn leaves in Nanaimo?

Almost never. Open burning isn't allowed inside the City of Nanaimo, with a few exceptions.

Burning yard waste needs a permit from Nanaimo Fire Rescue. Even then, it's only allowed in April and November. It's also limited to lots of one acre or more, or homes on Protection Island. The permit form only opens in the month before burning is allowed.

And during a provincial fire ban, no fires are allowed at all. For most homes, the green cart or the landfill is the way to go.

Do you have to clear invasive plants?

Nanaimo's Property Maintenance and Standards Bylaw (No. 7242) asks owners to remove noxious weeds. Its list includes hogweed, knotweed and Scotch broom. It also covers brush or overgrowth that becomes a nuisance.

Fall cleanup is a good time to cut back overgrowth along fences and lanes. Bag the cuttings and take invasive plants to the Regional Landfill, which lists them as accepted yard waste.

Can you skip bagging your leaves?

Often, yes. The City suggests reusing yard waste as mulch or in a backyard compost.

A thin layer of dry leaves can be mowed right into the lawn. The pieces break down over the wet winter. Our post on mulching leaves with a lawn mower shows how much is too much. For the bigger question, see should you leave leaves on your lawn.

Thick, wet mats are different. Under big trees, they can smother grass through a long, rainy winter. Rake those up. Nanaimo gets about 570 mm of rain from November to January, so a mat left in November stays wet for months.

When should you do your Nanaimo fall cleanup?

At Nanaimo's airport, the first fall frost lands around October 26 on average. Grass keeps growing slowly into fall, so keep mowing while it grows.

A good plan for most yards:

1. Mid to late October: mow short and clean, and rake the first leaf drop.
2. Early November: rake again once most trees are bare.
3. Last dry spell in November: one final pass, so no wet mats sit all winter.

Your green cart gets emptied each week, so smaller rakes more often fit the cart better than one giant cleanup. For local soil, rain and watering notes, see our Nanaimo lawn care page. Our post on Nanaimo watering restrictions covers the stages. You can also browse other B.C. cities we serve.

Can a crew handle your Nanaimo fall cleanup?

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

Your crew can rake leaves and pack your green cart the way the City wants for a fall cleanup. They can also cut back shrubs with hedge trimming. Ask how they handle haul away for branches and anything the cart can't take.

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

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

Nanaimo Yard Waste Questions

Rules change, so check with the City before you plan. Sources: Nanaimo green cart, curbside basics, Sorting It Right guide, post-collection systems, Bylaw 7128, drop-off sites, Zero Waste 101, RDN hours and rates, RDN locations, burning regulations, Bylaw 7242, Nanaimo airport climate normals.