**** HRM Media Release
Annual spring cleanup & maintenance program underway
Now that the winter season has wrapped up, municipal staff have transitioned to annual spring cleanup activities across the region.
Crews are working in all areas to address litter, remove downed branches and other winter debris while taking appropriate precautions to reduce the likelihood of contributing to the spread of COVID-19.
The municipality has deployed its eight vacuum street sweepers and two tandem broom trucks for an initial cleaning of approximately 1,500 kilometres of roadway and 3,000 kilometres of curb in the core areas of Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford.
Clearing debris from the region’s bicycle lanes will take place in tandem with the street cleaning work.
Overnight Street Cleaning Program
The municipality’s Overnight Street Cleaning Program will begin on the Halifax Peninsula on Tuesday, April 14.
Halifax Peninsula street cleaning takes place on weekdays between 12:05 a.m. and 8 a.m., to minimize the impact on daytime traffic and parking. All other areas scheduled for street cleaning are completed during daytime hours. Crews cycle through the neighbourhoods, so residents should refer to on-street parking signage for their service day.
Please note: Unlike in previous years, overnight parking restrictions will not be enforced. This change reflects an ongoing effort to reduce the likelihood of contributing to the spread of COVID-19 by not asking residents to move their vehicles.
This substantial street cleaning program takes place each year between April and October, to wash away remaining salt and brine, and to ensure the streets are kept reasonably clear of debris for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. As a preventative measure, the program also helps decrease the amount of debris and sediment entering the storm drain system.
The program includes weekly, scheduled service on the Halifax Peninsula, and other streets within the municipality’s core area are serviced no less than three times per year.
For more information or to find out when your street will be serviced, please call 311.
Spring Cleanup on Personal Property
Residents are encouraged to assist with spring cleanup activities by cleaning up around their own property if they can safely do so while adhering to the guidelines in the provincial State of Emergency Order.
Garbage on private property is the responsibility of the property owner and should be properly sorted and prepared for curbside collection. The schedule for collection of garbage, organics and recyclables is available online at halifax.ca/whatgoeswhere.
Residents are permitted to place one large bulky item, such as a piece of furniture, curbside for collection every garbage day. The Otter Lake Waste Processing & Disposal Facility, which continues to operate on a regular schedule, also accepts excess bags of garbage from residents, for a small fee.
Leaf and yard waste can be placed in the green bin, but no grass clippings. Any excess leaf and yard waste can be placed in large paper bags – not plastic – for curbside organics collection. Material must be placed curbside no later than 7 a.m. on collection day to ensure pickup.
Please note: A number of solid waste collection and facility hour service adjustments will be in effect over the upcoming Easter long weekend. Learn more.
Municipal and contracted crews will also be out in the coming weeks repairing damage caused by snow-clearing equipment this past winter.
The municipality regularly supports The Great Nova Scotia pick-me-up and Adopt-A-Highway Nova Scotia programs and has been advised that community cleanups have been postponed. Learn more by visiting their websites.
Please report turf, curb, or other damage sustained from snow clearing operations to 311 or contact@halifax.ca.
For more information on the annual spring cleanup, please visit halifax.ca/springcleanup.
