North Saanich residents — and North Saanich residents only — will be able to drop off their clippings and other green waste at that municipality’s green yard waste facility starting Monday, May 11.
The facility has remained closed since about mid-March because of COVID-19 along with other municipal facilities.
Its closure has generated public concern, a point Mayor Geoff Orr acknowledged last month in a video message dated April 21.
“The green waste program is very well used in North Saanich and I would say green waste and outdoor burning have been the two most heavily corresponded topics in the last week or two,” he said, adding that the municipality was still working on some options to allow residents to drop off their yard waste. “We ask that you stay patient. Do your regular pruning now that you are out and the weather is good. Hold on, at least for the next month until we know how we are going to come online.”
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The plan calls for the facility to be open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m, from Monday, May 11 through Saturday, May 16. These hours extend regular opening times. “We have adjusted operations to provide for physical distancing to protect residents and staff,” said Rebecca Penz, communications manager for the District of North Saanich.
She added that the district has also waived fees to the end of June.
The regular schedule sees the facility open two Saturdays and two Thursdays each month. “Originally, it was set for May 2, May 14, May 16 and May 28,” said Penz. “Recognizing that people have been storing their green waste since the closure in March, the facility is being operated for the full week with longer hours.”
This reopening with extended hours also comes with other provisions.
Users will have to access the facility from Glamorgan Road, with additional staff managing traffic to deal with the likely rush to use the facility. Residents will need to supply their own hand tools and the municipality has limited access to personal vehicles, such as cars, pickup trucks and utility trailers. Large commercial vehicles and contractors won’t be able to access the facility.
Regular operations will resume Thursday, May 28, from 8 a.m. to noon.
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