Residents in Victoria are now able to dump their garden waste off at a well-known park.
The City of Victoria says it has seen a surge in demand for garden waste drop off services and has decided to create a new yard waste drop-off area inside the parking lot at Royal Athletic Park.
The temporary garden drop-off site will be available for the next two weeks and is open from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. on weekdays between May 12 and 15 and May 19 until May 22.
The city says residents should prepare for waits at the new location because there will be limitations on the amount of vehicle traffic allowed at the Royal Athletic Park parking lot.
They’re also asking odd-numbered residential addresses to use the new site on Tuesday and Thursday, and even-numbered residential addresses use the service on Wednesday and Friday.
Gardening has become more popular as more people find themselves stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Earlier in the week, the City of Victoria announced that it would be providing free leaf mulch and compost that produced at its nursery in Beacon Hill Park to residents until May 14.
Residents could pick up free leaf mulch and compost at one of four locations – William Stevenson Park, Banfield Park, Porter Park, and Cecelia Ravine Park – provided they registered with the city first.
According to the city’s website, registration is now completely full.
While the news may be disappointing to some, the city says surplus leaf mulch is available for the public to self-load outside their Parks Yard at the end of Nursery Road in Beacon Hill Park.
Gardeners wanting to pick up this free leaf mulch can use shovels and pitchforks, but heavy machinery cannot be used. Those interested are asked to call 250-361-0600 ahead of time to ensure that free leaf mulch is available.
More information on the garden waste drop off program and leaf mulch pickup is available at www.victoria.ca.
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