Yard & Garden Waste

Drop-Off Program

The City's yard and garden waste drop-off program is available to residents of Victoria from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, with the exception of the following dates:

  • Saturday, March 30, 2024 
  • Saturday, December  21, 2024

The yard and garden waste drop-off is located at the City's Public Works Yard (417 Garbally Rd).

City staff will be present at the garden waste drop-off to direct traffic, but residents will need to unload their own garden waste. Staff will direct residents where garden waste can be unloaded while maintaining a safe physical distance. 

Accepted items:

  • leaves, small branches, grass clippings

Items not accepted:

  • rocks, sod, soil, stumps, Invasive plants, branches greater than 1.8 m (six feet) in length or 50 mm (two inches) in diameter

Curbside Collection

Did you know you can add yard and garden waste to your green bin? Check your schedule here.

Residential Leaf Collection

Each year starting in the fall, the City of Victoria collects approximately 7,000 tonnes of leaves from over 40,000 trees. The City offers leaf collection to residents to help keep leaves out of storm sewers. Leaves in the storm sewers can cause flooding. Collected leaves are used to produce quality mulch for City parks and community programs.

The 2023 collection has been completed. Check back here for updates on the 2024 collection. 

Residents have three options for leaf collection.

Leaf Collection FAQs

City of Victoria Leaf Mulch

The City processes its own leaf mulch with leaves collected during residential leaf collection as well as from parks, sports fields, tennis courts, streets and other areas. Most of what we process is used within Victoria's 138 parks and open spaces.

At certain times of year, surplus leaf mulch is available for the public to self-load outside the Parks Yard at the end of Nursery Road in Beacon Hill Park until the supply runs out. Surplus leaf mulch will be available again starting late winter 2024. Gardeners wanting to pick up this free mulch can use shovels and pitchforks. Heavy machinery (i.e., Bobcat equipment) is not allowed. You may wish to call ahead to see if mulch is available during busy times of year: 250.361.0600.

The City also makes leaf mulch available for community gardening projects. If you are involved in a community gardening project, contact parks@victoria.ca or 250.361.0600 for more information. Through the City delivers leaf mulch to residents for home gardens.

Residential Branch Chipping

The City of Victoria provides a branch chipping service to help residents remove tree branches from their yard.  The 2024 branch chipping service has been completed.

To participate in the branch chipping service, please leave tree branches on the grass boulevard by 7 a.m. for chipping. Each household can have one pile of loosely stacked branches no bigger than the amount a half-ton pickup truck can hold. Trucks will make one pass down each street.  

If you have branches you want to dispose of, they can be dropped off year-round at the Public Works Yard.

Branch Pick-Up Tips