The City has issued a fresh reminder about Oshawa yard-waste rules, including which materials are accepted and how residents must prepare bags, containers and brush for collection.
Yard waste is collected every other week on the same day as garbage from mid-April through early December. Material must be placed in paper yard-waste bags or clearly marked, open-top containers weighing less than 20 kilograms.
Accepted yard-waste materials
Residents can set out leaves, garden trimmings, weeds, plants, corn stalks, fallen fruit, pine needles, pine cones, twigs and brush. Pumpkins and gourds are collected on the first yard-waste day after Halloween.
Twigs and brush must be tied into bundles no longer than 1.2 metres. Each bundle must weigh less than 20 kilograms, and individual branches cannot be more than 10 centimetres in diameter.
Grass, soil and plastic bags are excluded
Grass clippings, soil, sod, stones, clay, hay or straw bales, tree stumps, trunks and large branches are not accepted. Lumber, plastic flowers, plant pots and artificial Christmas trees must also be kept out.
Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected. The City says unacceptable material can contaminate loads and make the composting process less effective.
Keep leaves off streets and drains
Residents should not rake or blow leaves onto a roadway. Loose material can block catch basins, contribute to localized flooding and create slippery conditions for drivers and cyclists. Fouling a road with yard waste may result in enforcement.
The City encourages backyard composting and pollinator-friendly gardening where practical. Residents can confirm collection dates through the Durham Region Waste App or Oshawa’s online schedule lookup.
Before setting material out, households should check that bags and containers meet the weight limit and that brush bundles meet both the length and branch-diameter rules.
Source: City of Oshawa
