Barrie leaf bags in wet weather: collection weeks, weight and storage

Rain changes the weight of the job

Rainy leaves are a lifting job as well as a collection job. Keep the bags dry between pickups and plan smaller loads, especially if the person doing the cleanup is also the person carrying everything to the curb.

Wet autumn leaves can turn a manageable bag into one that is hard to lift or likely to split. The City’s current instructions tell residents to store bags and containers in a covered, dry place outside their yard-waste week. That is more useful than leaving them at the curb for days.

Earlier Reddit search excerpts raised wet-bag and delayed-pickup concerns. Those excerpts do not establish how today’s route is performing. The current City page says heavy late-October volumes can mean collection runs through the end of Friday.

Wet leaf bags are more than an untidy curb. They are awkward to move, and nobody wants to discover a weak bottom while lifting a full bag. A May 2024 discussion mixed irritation about bags sitting out with a newcomer’s surprise that Barrie collected yard waste so often. The service can be useful and the waiting can still be frustrating. Planning the packaging is the part a household can control.

Source: City of Barrie: yard waste collection

Source: Barrie Reddit: yard waste in rain

Source: Barrie Reddit: yard waste pickup system, May 7, 2024

Source: Barrie Reddit: collection timing, May 22, 2024

Use the right week and package

Collection alternates with your garbage week. Confirm the address schedule. Use paper yard bags, or a labelled reusable can up to 120 litres with exterior handles. Plastic bags, cardboard boxes and blue or grey recycling boxes are not accepted as yard-waste containers.

Bundles must be no longer than 1.2 metres or wider than 0.3 metres. Each branch must be no thicker than 7 centimetres. Keep bags, cans and bundles no heavier than 20 kilograms. Smaller loads are easier to handle than one heavy wet bag.

Use the current autumn schedule rather than a remembered spring routine. In that 2024 thread, readers corrected each other about a collection week versus a fixed pickup day. Another discussion described recycling arriving late for one household while a different resident reported normal pickup. Those experiences explain the confusion, but they do not establish the current route or a citywide pattern of missed collections.

Separate leaves from other cleanup

Leaves, grass, garden waste and suitable brush belong in yard waste. Food waste, pet waste, rocks, dirt, plastic pots and milled lumber do not. The City directs garden fruit and vegetables to organics. Use its item lookup for anything uncertain.

Mulching leaves on your own property is another City-supported option. It can reduce the bags you need. Do not treat the end of November as an invitation to leave bags out through winter; decide what can be mulched, stored safely or taken through the approved disposal route.

For a manageable job, gather leaves in stages and keep filled bags dry until the correct set-out time. Do not pack one bag so heavily that it becomes difficult to lift or exceeds the City’s 20-kilogram limit. If you use a permitted reusable container, mark it clearly for yard waste and keep the lid and weight rules in mind. A smaller load is easier on the person moving it and the crew collecting it.

Brush needs its own preparation: the City limits bundles to 1.2 metres long and 0.3 metres across, with branches no thicker than 7.5 centimetres. Separate unsuitable material before tying a bundle. If a collection really appears missed, note the address, stream and set-out time when contacting the City. One 2024 reader reported a successful follow-up after calling, but that is an example of using the service channel, not a promised response time.

Source: Barrie Reddit: yard waste in rain