Know before you go to any Kamloops waste disposal sites

KAMLOOPS — It’s a sure sign of spring. Every March, folks clean up their yards or basements, clearing out the clutter that has accumulated over the past winter or two. But what items are meant for the landfill and what goes into the compost?

Any given day in March, the Barnhartvale Landfill is the place to be for folks who have undertaken home and yard clean-ups.

“Pretty much as soon as the snow clears, the lines at the landfill start to get a little bit longer, every year,” Allen Michener, Environmental Services Supervisor with the City of Kamloops explains.

There are several sites throughout the city where residents can dispose of their various household waste items.

“Here at the Barnhartvale landfill, we’ll take residential waste from the local neighbourhood, as well as yard waste. We’re able to accommodate both here at this location,” Michener says. “For any of your yard waste sites, [we accept] lawn and garden wastes, including tree prunings up to 24 inches, or two feet, in diameter.”

According to Kevin Smith, owner of Thompson Rivers Tree Services, now is the time to prune those trees if you want to maximize their potential for growth.

“This is a good time of year to do it,” Smith explains. “It’s right before the growing season. Everything wants to start budding out. If you do it now, it’s going to bud out even harder and be more prolific.”

As a Certified Utility Arborist, Smith recommends hiring a professional to deal with any large trees in your yard that need work. However, if you want to do the work at home, it’s important to have a plan,

“You don’t want to go too hard to trees, usually,” Smith says. “About one-third of the canopy is what you want to take. For fruit trees, if you’re maintaining them every year it’s a bit different.”

And before you even load up your truck, the city suggests checking the Waste Wise app. There, you can find information on what items are accepted at disposal sites throughout the city.

“If there’s ever any doubt about what you’re looking to dispose of, take advantage of the resources available to you,” Michener says. “Whether that be the Waste Wise app, or calling the Civic Operations Centre.”