Yard Waste Tags Now Available for Purchase at City Hall

Courtenay residents included in the City of Courtenay’s residential curbside collection program will now have the option to purchase additional yard waste tags to help manage excess yard waste. This program allows for up to two additional yard waste bags to be placed at the curb for collection each week, increasing the weekly collection volume from 360L to 600L per residential household. This program will be offered for the remainder of the 2023 calendar year.

Utilities Manager Rodney Armstrong said the new program will benefit households with larger than average amounts of yard waste. “Some residents with larger amounts of yard waste have asked the City for more options to manage their materials at the curb, particularly for the spring and fall when volumes increase,” said Armstrong. “This new tag program will provide one more way for households with higher than average amounts of yard waste to easily dispose of their materials at the curb for the rest of the year as we prepare for the launch of automated collection in 2024.”

The City recognizes that yard waste volumes fluctuate throughout the year, with spring and fall having the highest volumes of yard waste and winter and summer months having the lowest.

To ensure full cost recovery and to keep the curbside collection program equitable, the price of the yard waste tags has been set to $5 per bag. Tags can be purchased at City Hall starting April 28, 2023.

Through the purchase of the yard waste tags staff will be able to monitor the seasonal demand of this service. The City will use this information to evaluate the most appropriate solutions to explore for potential inclusion in the 2024 automated collection system.

Eco-friendly options for disposal of yard waste include mulching, home composting, and leaving cut grass on the lawn. For other disposal options, including facilities that accept yard waste, check the Waste Wizard in the Courtenay Collects app.

For more information on the organics program, visit www.courtenay.ca/organics

To get reminders before collection day, updates on what’s happening, and opportunities to win prizes, download the Courtenay Collects app in the Google Play or Apple Store.