Though it may not feel like it out there, spring is upon us. And with spring comes all sorts of yardwork and outdoor maintenance. Hopefully you managed to clear all your leaves away, but if not, there’s still a chance to get your Whitby home looking great for patio season. Today, we wanted to tell you a bit about the Whitby region bylaws about waste disposal. That way, you can get your yardwork done and still manage to get the bags of waste properly disposed of by your friendly neighbourhood garbage man. Here’s the most important ones to watch out for.

Scheduling

The first thing to remember is that leaf and yard waste is picked up biweekly, meaning every two weeks. It’ll probably happen on your usual garbage day, but it differs for each neighbourhood. The Town of Whitby website should be able to tell you when to expect your leaf and yard waste collector. Then you can get all your work done and not have it hang around your front yard for two weeks, waiting for pickup.

Don’t Get Fined

With that biweekly waste pickup, remember that not everything can go in the bag. The leaf and yard waste program is reserved strictly for branches, hedge trimmings, fallen fruit from trees, leaves, and that sort of thing. You cannot put soil, grass clippings, or tree stumps in the bag. For those things, you’ll have to deal with it separately or risk not having your waste picked up, and a fine. You’re also limited to 16 items per collection day, except for in the fall. Then the pickup is unlimited. So if you’re doing some heavy landscaping this summer and can’t make it to the dump, you can hold onto some of the waste, but it isn’t advisable. It starts to smell, after all.

Bundle Properly

Finally, do your garbage collection guys a favour and bundle up your waste nicely. Keep bundles under a meter long and less than 30 inches wide, with no bundles containing branches over four inches in diameter. It makes their job easier and decreases the chances of coming home to the stuff you left out.

Keep Your Property Looking Great

But what about your yard? What does the City of Whitby have to say about that? Well, there are certain rules that must be followed when it comes to owning a home in Whitby, but most of them are pretty reasonable. Here’s some of the standard ones:

• The maximum height of grass and weeds is 15cm.
• You aren’t allowed to turn your home into a garbage site. All debris, garbage, etc. must be dealt with in a timely manner.
• Buildings are to be maintained in a good condition, including the maintenance of roofs, windows, doors and eaves troughs.
• Detached garages and sheds must be kept in “good condition.”

There’s some of the basics to know about keeping your home well maintained and up to code this spring.

There’s the basics for getting ready for another great summer in Whitby. Keep these rules in mind as you prepare for the summer, whether that’s by having your trimmed so they’ll grow in full and healthy, or getting rid of some leaves you missed last fall. Whatever you’re doing, if you follow these rules, you’ll be just fine.