Brown paper bags line the curbs of Barrie, bracing for their last journey before the snow buries all signs of autumn. The city’s annual yard waste collection, usually a brisk autumn affair, has been stretched into December, offering residents a final reprieve to whisk away fallen leaves before winter settles in.
City services announced the move to extend yard waste pickup, a gesture many homeowners will appreciate as lawns remain littered with stubborn leaves. Crews are now set to continue their curbside rounds into the first week of December, targeting neighbourhoods where foliage clings to branches longer than expected.
This change means residents scrambling to finish yard work have a bit more breathing room. The city’s waste management team cites unpredictable autumn weather and increased demand as reasons for the shift. Unusually warm spells and late-falling leaves have left some with overflowing compost bags and a sense of unfinished business as winter edges closer.
Collection trucks will follow existing routes, but the extension is not indefinite. The city emphasizes that this is a last call—once collection wraps up, yard waste must wait until spring. Residents are urged to use only approved paper bags or compostable bins and keep materials free of stones or branches. Improperly bagged waste won’t be collected, and any leftovers risk becoming winter’s burden.
For some, the extension is a relief: another weekend to rake, bag, and tidy up gardens before everything is locked beneath ice. For others, it’s a brief delay before the inevitable, as Barrie’s landscape transforms from gold and russet to white and silent.
Once the final trucks rumble through, the city’s focus shifts to snow clearing and winter maintenance. For now, though, Barrie’s residents have a narrow window to clear their yards and send autumn’s debris on its way, one paper bag at a time.
