Leaf & Pumpkin Composting program starts this weekend

The City of Calgary will run its annual Leaf & Pumpkin Composting program from Saturday, September 24 until Sunday, November 6. Residents can bring their bagged leaves and pumpkins to one of the 35 drop-off locations around the city.

“There are many benefits to composting leaves and pumpkins,” says Waste & Recycling Services Superintendent Darcy Cairns. “When yard waste is buried in the landfill it releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.”

“Calgarians help keep over two million kilograms of leaves and pumpkins out of landfills each fall. It’s great that we can work together to turn them into nutrient-rich compost instead.”

Cairns also reminds Calgarians to use paper yard waste bags over plastic bags for the Leaf and Pumpkin program. “Paper bags are more environmentally friendly as they are 100 per cent compostable and leave no waste behind. We encourage everyone to make the switch.”

Here are some quick tips about this year’s Leaf & Pumpkin Composting program:

• This program is intended for residential use only.
• Only leaves and pumpkins are accepted. Please do not include rocks, branches, soil or sod.
• Paper yard waste bags are preferred. They can be found in the same aisle as garbage bags at most grocery, hardware and garden retailers.

WHAT: Encourage Calgarians to bring their bagged leaves and pumpkins to a seasonal drop-off location.

WHEN: September 24– November 6, 2016

WHERE: 35 drop-off locations around the city. Visit calgary.ca/leaf to find a location near you.

Audio clips and b-roll video footage are available for download for broadcast media use via the 2016 Leaf & Pumpkin Media Advisory.

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