News Release
HRM Prepares For Autumn Leaf Surge
(Friday, October 27/2000)--This year's preparations for the orange and clear plastic bag leaf collection have a new twist-- residents are being encouraged to keep some of those leaves at home and turn them into useful garden materials.
Many home gardeners buy mulch, fertilizers, and compost each year, but routinely put leaves gathered from their property at curbside for collection by HRM. If first broken up by lawnmower, leaves can provide an excellent winter mulch or compost source because they are a source of nutrients.
HRM encourages residents to use the leaves in their gardens and at the same time, help the municipality to reduce the cost of collection and composting. A series of newspaper, radio and television ads has been prepared to deliver this new message.
HRM will pick-up leaves on the regular organics collection day in the various Districts, although the collection vehicle may arrive at a different time than usual. Organics Cart Week in each HRM District allows residents to put up to a maximum of 20 orange/clear plastic bags of leaves at curbside.
All leaves collected will be turned into compost. The orange and clear plastic leaf bags, because they have to be emptied by hand, will be disposed of at the landfill. In this case, the plastic is too dirty to be recovered and recycled.
Councillor Reg Rankin, Chair of the HRM Solid Waste Resources Advisory Committee, encourages residents to try using their leaves on home gardens this season.
"In the longer term, it is much better to use as many leaves as possible in home gardens," he said.
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Brian Smith
Director of Solid Waste Resources
(902) 490-6606
Councillor Reg Rankin
Chair, Solid Waste Advisory Committee
(902) 499-3744
