Vancouverites can get slapped with a jaw-dropping fine for improperly raking leaves. But the city says there's an important reason for the steep penalty.
People who blow or rake leaves onto the sidewalk, into catch basins, sidewalks, boulevards, or bike lanes face a fine of up to $10,000 under Section 84 of Street and Traffic By-Law 2849. Blowing or raking leaves into these areas can cause flooding or injuries to pedestrians or cyclists.
A spokesperson for the city told V.I.A. that the clause isn't specific to leaves but also applies to rubbish, construction or demolition debris, paper, or other discarded materials. While the by-law fines cost as much as $10,000, the range begins at $250.
The by-law also applies to drivers operating vehicles used for depositing any of the aforementioned materials or leaves upon a street.
How often are the fines issued?
The city says it focuses on outreach and compliance before enforcement (i.e. issuing fines). In most instances, they try to educate the public about proper disposal to resolve "the vast majority of complaints."
The city has not issued any fines for inappropriate disposal of leaves in the past few years.
Residents should also ensure they remove piles of wet leaves from streets as they can "create slippery road conditions, block visibility, and flood drains and nearby areas." City crews remove leaves from streets regularly from November to January but leaves may build up on certain streets or areas they can't reach.
Residents can check out an interactive map that shows when they can expect leaf removal on their streets.
Extra leaf collection weekends are scheduled in the north collection zones on Dec. 14 and 15, 2024, and Jan. 11, 2025 (including Christmas trees). The south collection zones have extra collections on Dec. 1, 28, and 29 and Jan. 11 (including Christmas trees). They should be set out on the scheduled Saturday by 7 a.m.
The city notes that leaf collection may not occur on a scheduled weekend due to large volumes but residents should leave them out until they are collected.
City tips for ensuring leaf collection
- Put extra leaves into paper bags or store-bought bins (maximum 100 litres).
- Set out your leaves for collection before 7 a.m. on the scheduled Saturday.
- Place the extra leaf bags or bins in the same location that you set out your garbage.
- Keep filled paper leaf bags as dry as possible before setting them out to help prevent them from tearing during collection.
- Download the VanCollect app for collection reminders to avoid missed collections.
- Do not set out your green bin on extra leaf collection weekends.
- Do not use plastic bags of any kind, even those labelled as compostable or biodegradable.
People can also drop leaves and other yard trimmings off for a fee at the Vancouver South Transfer Station (377 W Kent Ave) or the Vancouver Landfill in Delta. They can also use them as mulch in their gardens.
