ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Juanita Mercer
The Telegram
Due to COVID-19 measures, leaves and grass clippings are not being collected across metro municipalities, including Mount Pearl, St. John’s and Conception Bay South.
In St. John’s, the city issued a news release on Tuesday that said yard waste would not be collected in May as previously announced. The decision will be re-evaluated for the month of June. The city is asking residents to store yard waste bags until the program can be safely implemented.
“With measures in place to protect staff and to ensure the continuation of regular, weekly garbage collection, additional services including yard waste collection have been postponed for the time being,” reads the news release.
The city’s Curb It St. John’s website offers some options for handling yard waste at home, suggesting residents mulch or compost leaves and grass clippings. For residents with gardens, leaves can be dug directly into the garden to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
Instructions, including video, on how to mulch and compost yard waste are available at curbitstjohns.ca/recycle/yard-waste/.
In Conception Bay South, residents are asked to put yard waste in garbage bins for collection on their regularly scheduled garbage day, or hold on to the yard waste until the regular programming begins.
“Similar to recycling, staff are not handling private waste bags at this time, but we continue to evaluate services weekly,” a town spokesperson explained via email.
In Mount Pearl, the city says leaves and grass clippings are not being collected. Like St. John’s, Mount Pearl residents are encouraged to mulch and compost.
“Mulching and composting leaves are earth-friendly ways to take care of your yard waste and save space in our landfill,” reads a notice on the city’s website.
“Shred the grass and leaves with your lawn mower or a leaf shredder and use as mulch on your lawn and garden.”
Meanwhile, the town of Paradise has never offered curbside pickup of yard waste. While the town has identified a need for the service, and work has begun to develop it, progress has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a city spokesperson, “a revised timeline is not yet known.”
For now, Paradise residents are encouraged to compost or do “grasscycling” — cutting lawns more frequently to reduce the need to rake clippings.
As well, yard waste can be bagged and put out for curbside garbage collection with the regular household garbage.
@juanitamercer_
