Region collecting yard waste from rural Caledon until end of November

The Region of Peel will collect yard waste in rural areas of Caledon from Sept. 30 to Nov. 28.

"Providing yard waste collection services is intended to help households in rural areas of Caledon manage their yard waste during the peak fall yard waste season," commented Ben Shepherd, acting director of waste management for the Region.

Yard waste will be collected as garbage in rural areas. Residents are asked to place yard waste in clear plastic bags; labeled, opentop, rigid, reusable containers; bushel baskets; or paper yard waste bags. This will ensure that it does not count toward the twobag standard for garbage collection.

Dedicated loads of yard waste may also be dropped off year-round, free of charge, at the Caledon Community Recycling Centre at 1795 Quarry Dr. (west of Caledon village), and at the Bolton Community Recycling Centre at 109 Industrial Rd. Yard waste that is dropped off at the Region's facilities is mixed with food waste collected from the Organics Recycling Program and is processed into compost.

Residents can reduce yard waste by practicing mulching. Mulching involves leaving grass clippings on the lawn to return water and nutrients to the soil. Grass clippings are a nitrogen fertilizer, and when they decompose they release nutrients back to the lawn. When mulching your grass, follow these guidelines: • Mow high. The ideal grass height is five to 7.5 centimetres (two to three inches). • Keep your mower blades sharp. • Mow when the grass is dry. • Use any kind of mower. It isn't necessary to use a mulching mower, although the smaller clippings produced by a mulching mower will decompose more quickly.

Other options for reducing yard waste include placing grass clippings in your backyard composter, and not over-watering your lawn. A healthy lawn only requires half an inch of water (including rainfall), twice per week, to stay healthy.