Castlegar's yard waste disposal facility at the Castlegar Community Complex will close permanently on March 31.
The closure has been pending ever since the city introduced a new curbside collection program for organics, including yard waste.
That program has been a success, diverting 47 per cent of the city's organic waste from the landfill to a Regional District of Central Kootenay compost facility.
When the program launched, city council decided to keep the yard waste facility open for one year to assess the new program and give residents time to adjust.
After waiting more than a year and thoroughly assessing the facility's usage, council finalized the closure decision in January.
The closure will save Castlegar taxpayers about $120,000 each year. Residents have been paying about $38 per property, per year, whether they personally used the site or not.
It will also free up staff and equipment resources for other essential city services. Around 700 hours of staff and equipment time are used annually at the site.
Another concern of council was that the facility was heavily used by out-of-town residents and some businesses, causing Castlegar taxpayers to pay for the waste disposal services of non-residents, who do not pay for the service.
Residents still have several options to dispose of their yard waste.
Weekly curbside collection: Use your city-supplied, green-lidded organics cart for yard waste, including flowers, grass clippings, plants, leaves, weeds, small branches, and prunings under two inches in diameter and 12 inches in length.
Ootischenia Landfill: Yard waste is accepted year-round for a fee, but is free during May and October. It is located at 671 Columbia Road. Visit rdck.ca/OotischeniaLandfill for details.
Leave your leaves: Fallen leaves can benefit your yard and the environment by providing natural nutrients. Mow over leaves to mulch your lawn, use them as mulch for garden beds and trees, or leave some on the ground to support beneficial insects like butterflies and bees.
Do not burn: The City of Castlegar’s Open Burning Bylaw prohibits the burning of yard waste, leaves, garbage, construction or demolition material at any time. The city can issue $500 fines for burning yard waste.
Small campfires are allowed under the bylaw, but must be contained and no larger than one metre wide by one metre long by one metre high and consist only of clean, dry campfire wood.
More information on the city's curbside collection program can be found at castlegar.ca.
