Windstorm damage spurs city to bring back leaf-and-yard waste collection
A wicked windstorm that scattered tree limbs and debris across Hamilton has prompted the city to restart collection of leaf waste and yard waste for two extra weeks.
Wind gusts topping 90 km/h wreaked havoc across the province Saturday, with close to 300,000 Ontario residents left without power at one point, including more than 1,000 in Hamilton.
The storm toppled mature trees onto two homes and a couple of vehicles, said city superintendent of forestry Lorne McArthur, and has so far prompted nearly 170 calls related to downed limbs or tree damage.
It seems like we're getting calls from one side of the city to the other, but I would say the damage was a little heavier in Flamborough and Glanbrook in particular," he said.
McArthur said city and hydro crews have dealt with the major issues," like trees felled on power lines or across roads, but the debris cleanup will continue through the early part of this week. If you need to report storm problems like flooding or fallen trees, call the city at 905-546-2489.
Those storm clouds held a silver lining for some homeowners, though.
Anyone caught by surprise when the city ended collection of yard waste early this year now has a two-week reprieve.
Hamilton decided to stop collecting yard waste for most of December, January and February in an effort to trim a spiking waste budget. That decision spurred belated complaints from some residents because so many trees hung on to their leaves late into a warm autumn.
Now, the city has announced you can put out yard waste at the curb on your regular collection day until Dec. 24.
Some tips:
- use paper bags or reusable rigid containers for yard waste, not plastic bags or cardboard boxes;
- bags must weigh less than 50 pounds;
- do not put leaf waste in your organics green bin;
- bundle branches and twigs, and tie them together with string. Bundles must be no longer than four feet and individual branches cannot be large than 2.5 inches in diameter;
- yard waste and branches can be dropped off for free at community recycling centres at any time;
- as an alternative, you can spread fallen leaves in a garden or flower bed.
Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com