St. Albert Yard Waste and Leaf Guide: Fall 2026

In St. Albert, you have three ways to get rid of yard waste this fall. Fill your Green Organics Cart, which goes out every week until the end of October. Take bags and branches to the City Compost Depot on Villeneuve Road. Or set leaves at the curb for the last leaf pickup, the week of October 27 to 30. Use paper bags or reusable bins, never plastic.

When is the last leaf pickup in St. Albert this year?

The City runs four curbside leaf pickup weeks in 2026. Three are done. One is left.

2026 leaf pickup week	Status
Tuesday, April 28 to Friday, May 1	Done
Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29	Done
Tuesday, September 15 to Friday, September 18	Done
Tuesday, October 27 to Friday, October 30	Coming up

Your leaves must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27. That rule is the same for both zones. A separate truck picks them up, not the green cart truck. So your leaves may not go on your usual collection day. Leave them out until they're gone.

This service is only for homes that get City green cart pickup. If your condo or complex doesn't, check with your manager.

How do you bag leaves for St. Albert curbside pickup?

The leaf truck has its own rules. They're stricter than the green cart rules. Here's what the City asks:

• Use paper yard waste bags, or reusable cans or bins.
• Keep each bin to 80 L (21 gallons) or less.
• Keep each bag or bin under 25 kg (50 lb).
• No plastic bags. The crew will leave them behind.
• No certified compostable bags either. Heavy leaves can split them.
• Clear any junk or snow off the top of your bags and bins.

Paper yard waste bags are sold at local grocery and hardware stores. Buy a few extra. Wet leaves get heavy fast, so fill bags about three quarters full after rain.

The City wants snow cleared off bags and bins, so watch the forecast. Set bags out Monday night, not a week early. Then they stay drier and lighter.

What goes in the St. Albert Green Organics Cart?

Your green cart takes grass, leaves and yard waste. The City lists branches, flowers, plants and pumpkins as fine. Your old jack o'lantern can go in after Halloween.

The cart goes out every week from April to the end of October. From November to the end of March, it's every two weeks. That makes October your last month of weekly pickup.

What has to stay out of the green cart?

• Sod and dirt
• Plastic bags, wrap or wrappers
• Bags marked "biodegradable" (they leave plastic behind)
• Diseased branches and elm wood

Here's a catch. Certified compostable bags are fine in the green cart. They're not fine for curbside leaf pickup. Look for the certified compostable logo on the box before you use them in the cart.

Is your cart too small for fall?

The City offers a 120 L cart and a 240 L cart. Both cost the same. If you fill the small one every week, ask the City's Wastewise team about a swap. Call 780-459-1557 or use the City's cart request form.

Where is the St. Albert Compost Depot, and when does it close?

The Compost Depot sits on Villeneuve Road, between Ray Gibbon Drive and Hogan Road. It's for St. Albert residents only, and staff may ask for proof of where you live.

It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's closed Mondays and stat holidays. On October 1, the City's page showed it as open.

The depot runs from about April to October. The City doesn't post a set closing day. It depends on the weather. So don't wait for the last weekend of the month with a full trailer.

What can you drop off at the Compost Depot?

• Leaves, hay and straw
• Grass clippings, loose or in paper bags
• Branches and shrub trimmings
• Flowers and other yard waste
• Wood chips
• Apples, pumpkins and jack o'lanterns
• Diseased branches and elm wood, in their own pile

The depot won't take sod, dirt, lumber or plastic bags. Empty your bags into the pile, then toss the plastic in the bins on site.

Commercial vehicles get turned away. If you hire help, ask your crew how they'll haul the leaves away before the job starts.

What do you do with elm and diseased branches?

St. Albert has over 60,000 managed trees. The City has firm rules to keep Dutch elm disease out.

Bylaw 5-98 makes it illegal to prune elms from April 1 to September 30. You'd need written permission from the City. That window just closed. So October is a fine time to trim an elm hedge.

Diseased branches and elm wood never go in the green cart. Here's where they go:

• While the Compost Depot is open: the diseased branches pile at the depot.
• After it closes: the diseased branches bin at the Mike Mitchell Recycling Depot, 7 Chevigny Street.
• Small amounts: a sealed bag in your Brown Garbage Cart.

Don't keep elm prunings for firewood. The City says that helps beetles settle in. Got black knot on a tree? The City says to prune those branches in winter, when the fungus is dormant.

Our partner crews don't spray, and Golden Oak gives no pest or disease control advice.

Where does sod and dirt go in St. Albert?

Not in the green cart, and not at the Compost Depot. Sod and dirt can't be composted.

Small amounts can go in your Brown Garbage Cart. Keep it light. Carts over 200 lb (about 90 kg) won't be picked up. For a big load, the City says to use a City of Edmonton facility.

How can you make less yard waste this fall?

Start with the grass. The City says up to 75 per cent of a summer green cart is grass clippings. Leave them on the lawn instead. They break down within 3 days.

The City's tips are simple. Cut no more than one third of the blade at a time. Keep the grass at 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches). In the cooler shoulder season, mow about once a week.

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

When should you plan fall cleanup in St. Albert?

The nearest frost record is at Edmonton City Centre, about 10 km south-east. There, the average first fall frost is September 22. Frost slows the grass, but it can keep growing on mild days. Keep mowing while it does.

Aim to have leaves bagged by Monday, October 26. Then you can catch the last curbside pickup. Our Prairie fall cleanup timing guide covers when most yards wrap up.

Don't let the lawn go shaggy before winter, either. Under Community Standards Bylaw 12/2010, grass over 15 cm is a nuisance. The City can give you 2 business days to clean it up. After that, it can do the work and bill you.

Can a local crew handle your St. Albert cleanup?

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

Your crew can do a full spring and fall cleanup, from raking leaves to clearing beds. They can keep up regular mowing until the grass stops. They can also handle hedge trimming, now that the elm ban is over.

We measure your yard 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 St. Albert lawn care page. West of the city? See our Spruce Grove page.

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

St. Albert Yard Waste Questions

Rules change, so check with the City before you plan. Sources: City of St. Albert curbside leaf pick up, Green Organics Cart, Compost Depot, Mike Mitchell Recycling Depot, grasscycling, outdoor water tips, fast facts, Community Standards Bylaw 12/2010, Edmonton City Centre climate normals.