By Pepper Parr
October 12th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington’s loose-leaf collection program starts on Monday, Nov. 8. Residents are encouraged to check the leaf collection schedule and zone map and rake leaves to the curb, or edge of pavement if there are no curbs, before their pickup date.
Each collection zone will have only one pick-up.
Collection Schedule:
• Zone 1: begins Nov. 8 (1 week)
• Zone 2: begins Nov. 15 (1 week)
• Zone 3: begins Nov. 22 (2 weeks)
Map of loose leaf collection zones.
This crew will probably not be clearing the leaves from your property. They were working along New Street when this picture was taken.
Residents planning on using the service are reminded that this program is weather dependent. Freezing rain or snow can cause delays or even cancel the program. Always be prepared to bag your leaves for Halton Region’s Yard Waste Pick-up or mulch them to help your lawns and gardens grow.
If the collection is delayed or cancelled due to weather or other circumstances, residents can call 905-335-7777 for updated information. Updates will also be posted on burlington.ca/leafcollection as well as the City’s social media channels.
To ensure the safety of collection crews and avoid damaging equipment, please keep the loose-leaf piles free of debris and sticks. Leaves mixed with debris and waste will not be collected. Please help prevent flooding by keeping catch basins and ditches clear of leaves.
The time frames for getting all the leaves off the streets is tight. They want to wait until all the leaves are down and the snow hasn’t started.
To ensure a successful pick-up, residents can:
• Rake leaves to the edge of the curb or roadway in a loose pile
• Remove basketball nets, cars and other obstructions from the road during pick-up dates
• Clear leaves from sidewalks and walkways
• Avoid placing garbage bags, bins, blue boxes or green carts on top of loose-leaf piles
• Give crews room to remove the leaves when driving
After the collection program is complete, any remaining leaves should be placed in yard-waste bags for curb side collection by Halton Region.
As a greener alternative, residents can mulch their leaves with their lawn mower to help feed the soil for the spring.
Related news story:
The evolution of leaf collecting in Burlington
I have a couple of observations.
We used to get two pick ups each year. For the past few years it’s only been one! The reason for the reduction ? Probably due to Council cowtowing to those who whine about property tax increases that are required to maintain service levels. The old addage of “you get what you pay for” is always true. So less services are provided so as to keep taxes artificially low.
The first area to get leaf collection is the southern most area of the City. Strange choice as the first leaves to fall are those in the north of the City and the last to fall are in the south. Year after year the southern area is left with piles of leaves on the side of the road being those that fell after the pick up date.
If you read the chart, the first area to get collection is North East Burlington, East of Walkers and north of Mainway
The south of Fairview is last to be collected
You are right Bob. I misread the plan. Thank you.