Saanich Leaf Collection Crews completed the final passes on Friday, January 23. Crews are now attending to missed piles and winding down the program.
Missed leaf pile(s)
Saanich staff will attempt to locate and assess each pile.
If you have already contacted Saanich about a missed leaf pile, please wait until February 2 to let us know by email (greenergarbage@saanich.ca) that you still have a pile.
If you have a missed leaf pile and have not already contacted Saanich, please follow these next steps.
For small piles:
- deposit any remaining leaves in your Green organics cart, or
- bring to the Yard and Garden Waste Drop-off at the Saanich Operations Centre.
For larger piles, please:
- email Saanich Public Works (greenergarbage@saanich.ca) and include:
- a description of the pile(s) location
- your phone number. We may need to contact you if we need help finding the pile or cannot collect your pile due to other reasons (ie. if your pile includes unaccepted tree nuts or needles, is inaccessible, etc.)
Here are some options available to beneficially-recycle your leaves, year round:
- Mulch your leaves - there are many benefits to mulching your leaves and layering in your garden beds or compost.
- Place your leaves into your organics cart – depending on the size of your cart, you could dispose of your leaves in one or two collection cycles.
- Bring your leaves to our yard and garden waste drop off – if you have larger piles that won’t fit into your organics cart and have the means to transport them, bring them in!
Have questions about the leaf program? Check out our new FAQs!
Guidelines
- Leaf collection only.
- Have leaves ready for the first day of your collection week.
- Leaves must be in rows or piles no more than 1 metre away from the road.
- No limit to number of piles or rows.
- Leaves to be clear of catch basins, sidewalks, bike lanes and roadways.
- Leaves must not be placed in ditches.
- Collectors require unobstructed access to leaves.
We don’t accept
We're not able to accept a number of items in our leaf collection program as it contaminates our final product. The mulched leaves are used in our parks, allotment gardens and for Garry Oak restoration.
Please put the following in your organics recycling cart:
- Tree needles
- Acorns
- Chestnuts
- Pinecones
- Grass clippings
- Prunings
- Garden waste
You can bring large-volume loads to the Saanich Public Works Yard at 1040 McKenzie Ave.
Where your leaves go
We collect and mulch about 2,500 tonnes of leaves for reuse in our parks, allotment gardens and Garry Oak restoration projects.
When available, any remaining leaf mulch is dropped off free of charge for residential use on a first-come, first-served basis at three Saanich parks:
