How to Chuck out Yard Waste

Photo source: Nico Cavallotto

Every year, as the summer ends and children return to school, you might just suddenly realize that deep in your heart, you really are an autumn person – however much you like summer sun and holidays. Whenever you travel to work or just walk down the street in this season, you just cannot ignore all that colourful beauty that covers everything in sight, silencing your footsteps. You might secretly want to go back in time and be 10 again, running up and down the streets and kicking your way through the thick carpet of leaves. In this fantastic autumn mood you arrive home and the dream ends when you look at your own lawn. Since leaves usually are great fun, but your own leaves are not, as they are your problem and you have to get rid of them somehow. But there’s no need to be depressed, because our 2nd Toronto Homeowner Tip deals with the most suitable ways of yard waste disposal.

In the past, people didn’t make a big fuss about it: they just burned it or used it for mulching. Burning is out of question today, unless you want to apply for an open burning permit, and quite honestly, this could take you until Spring time. If you go for the most obvious solution and sweep all your leaves to your neighbour’s yard, alright, but you may get them all back and double next year.

Community services

First, you should choose if you are willing to do most of the work yourself, or if you would prefer the community services collect your organic waste. In the first case you will have to get an adequate number of kraft bags, because yard waste in Toronto is no more accepted if packed in any kind of plastic bags. Next, you will have to gather all the leaves into these bags. You may do this by using a traditional rake, or employ a more sophisticated leaf blowing machine. This work can also be done by your own children or some from the neighbourhood, if you cannot do it yourself. The kids will most likely welcome the chance to earn some pocket money. In any case, you will have to consult the collection calendar to see when to put the bags out for collection.

(Please go to my original article How to get rid of leaves to see the rest of the story.)