Region only accepting leaf and yard waste at curb

Durham Region’s waste department will now only be accepting leaf and yard waste at the curb.

Residents in Durham are advised that, until further notice, leaf and yard waste will no longer be accepted at its waste management facilities (WMFs). Residents can instead take advantage of the free curbside leaf and yard waste collection.

This change is to help limit the number of people visiting WMFs and to reduce the number of vehicles on-site.

Proof of residency will also help ensure regional WMFs are exclusive to residents of Durham. To provide proof of residency, residents can present a driver’s license or a recent piece of mail or bill with a regional address.

In order to ensure the safety of clients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WMFs have implemented increased safety measures. This includes limiting the number of people and cars on-site and practicing physical distancing.

Residents are asked to limit their trips to the WMFs and instead check their collection calendar to use the curbside collection for waste, including leaf and yard waste.

Residents taking advantage of the curbside collection for leaf and yard waste must still follow these rules:

• Only use paper yard waste bags or clearly labelled, returnable open-top containers. Yard waste in cardboard boxes, blue boxes, green bins or plastic bags will not be picked up.
• Those using a reusable open-top container should drill holes in the bottom of the container for drainage.
• Securely tie brush in bundles up to one metre (three feet) long and 76 centimetres (30 inches) wide. No branch should be more than 10 centimetres (four inches) in diameters.
• Yard waste cannot weigh more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds).

These updated measures will help ensure services identified as essential by the Province of Ontario, including waste management and household hazardous waste collection, continue to be provided safely to protect the environment and the public.

For more information, visit durham.ca/waste, email waste@durham.ca, call 1-800-667-5671 or download the Durham Region Waste App.