Information provided by the city of Vancouver
Vancouver, Wash. — Fall is here, and Vancouver Public Works reminds residents that leaves should not be raked or blown into the streets, where they can create a slippery mess and clog stormwater drain catch basins. To prevent standing water in streets, residents are encouraged to rake, bag and take leaves to one of four local drop-off sites for free disposal, courtesy of the city’s Fall Leaf Coupon Program.
This year’s free leaf disposal coupons for Vancouver and Clark County residents are good from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, which provides residents extra time to take care of fallen leaves, even during the holiday season. The coupons allow free disposal of up to 5 cubic yards of leaves at the designated drop-off sites. Leaves must be emptied from bags at the disposal site. Please note: Branches and other yard debris, as well as mixed loads of leaves and other yard debris, will be charged at the regular disposal price.
Leaf coupons will not be available at the disposal sites, so be sure to get your coupon before you go. Residents can find the coupons in a variety of sites: in the Recycling Refresher newsletter, sent to all households in Clark County; on the city’s website at www.cityofvancouver.us/solidwaste, and at Vancouver City Hall, Utility Services and other city offices. This year’s designated free leaf disposal sites are:
– City Bark, 2419 N.E. Andresen Road. Phone: 360-253-8461. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, in October; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, November/December. Closed Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Early closures on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
– H & H Wood Recyclers, 8401 NE 117th Ave. Phone: 360-892-2805. Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Saturday, in October; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, November/December; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, all months. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Early closures on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
– West Van Materials Recovery Center, 6601 NW Old Lower River Road. Phone: 360-737-1727. Hours: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Early closures on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
– Triangle Resources, 612 S.E. Union St, Camas. Phone: 360-834-7253. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Early closures on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
In Vancouver, property owners are responsible for managing the leaves from their trees. Vancouver does not pick up leaves nor charge special leaf fees for doing so. Deliberately raking or blowing of leaves into the street and leaving them there is unlawful.
Every year, Vancouver Public Works crews clean the City’s 13,000-plus catch basins and storm water drains, removing hundreds of tons of leaves, sediment and other debris in the process. Street sweepers are generally no match for big, wet, heavy piles of leaves. The free leaf disposal program is intended to provide options for Vancouver residents with a lot of trees. Other options include subscribing to Waste Connections of Washington’s yard debris collection services at www.wcnorthwest.com or by calling 360-892-5370.
View this video, which shows how citizens and the city of Vancouver work together to manage fall leaves: http://youtu.be/GnYLr6EpERs.
