City expands yard-waste dropoff access
Fredericton’s soil-management facility to be open to residents around the clock in October
The City of Fredericton is making it easier for residents to get rid of their yard waste at a municipal facility.
The city issued a news release Friday, advising it’s expanding the hours at the Beek Court Municipal Soil Management Facility in the Vanier Industrial Park off Vanier Industrial Drive.
The facility - aimed at the collection of yard waste for composting and converting into topsoil for later use in city parks, flower beds and construction sites - was previously only open 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday from May to October, the release said.
But starting in October, the city announced, the soil-management facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for dropoffs.
“This facility has grown into a much-needed resource in the community,” Jillian Hudgins, an environmental strategist with the city, said in the release, noting it promotes environmental stewardship.
Among the yard waste residents can dump at the facility leaves, branches, woodchips, grass clippings, soil and manure, the release said.
The facility will continue to operate between May and October, so dropoff isn’t available at other times of the year.
“In coming weeks, the Facility will also acquire two large bins to streamline the process and make it easier for residents to navigate,” the release said.
“One bin will be directed for brush, and another will be used for organics, including sod, soil, and grass clippings.”
The city will also update signage to improve instructions, site navigation, traffic flow and bin labelling, it said.
The city produced 8,000 cubic metres of topsoil from yard waste in 2023, the release said, and that’s growing considerably in 2024, producing 14,000 cubic metres thus far.
“The soil-management facility is the perfect example of how urban infrastructure can evolve to meet the needs of a growing community, while promoting sustainability and reducing environmental impact,” Coun. Kevin Darrah, chairman of the city’s environmental stewardship committee, said in the release.
The Fredericton Independent can be reached by email here.