In a new initiative this year, the City of Guelph will be sending out cute puppies to collect leaves from your yards.

Okay, that’s not true.

This is what’s really happening:

Bagged yard waste collection will take place on your regular grey cart collection day, for week B households this will be during the week of October 26 to 30 and week A households November 2 to 6.

Yard waste includes:

• grass clippings
• leaves
• hedge trimmings
• woody plants (e.g. vines or rose bushes)
• brush, branches, and tree limbs with a diameter less than 5 centimetres (2 inches)

Loose leaf collection will take place November 9 to 20.

Leaf collection does not include branches and other yard waste.

The City makes one scheduled pick up for loose leaf collection on each street. Residents must have their leaves raked out onto the road or curbside the weekend of November 7. This will help prevent storm drains from flooding. For safety reasons, keep children from playing in the leaves on the roadway.

After the collection period ends, residents can bag additional leaves and drop them off at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre (110 Dunlop Drive) free of charge.

Leaves can also be included in the green cart for curbside collection all year.

Residents can also keep leaves on their property. Yard waste and leaves provide vital nutrients to lawns and gardens.

Residents can try these tips for a healthy landscape:

• Use mulched leaves on the lawn to help control weeds and create healthier growing conditions
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn to decompose and release organic matter and valuable nutrients into your lawn
• Try home composting—it provides free, nutrient-rich organic matter for lawns and gardens