From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, Vancouver and Clark County residents can drop off up to five cubic yards of leaves with each coupon at one of four designated sites, at no charge

VANCOUVER – The arrival of fall often means an overabundance of leaves on the ground. The annual Fall Leaf Coupon Program, courtesy of city of Vancouver and Clark County public works, assists community members with free leaf disposal. Through this popular program, residents can take leaves to designated drop-off sites for free disposal. Proper disposal of leaves includes keeping them out of the garbage and out of local streets and storm drains. 

From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, Vancouver and Clark County residents can drop off up to five cubic yards of leaves with each coupon at one of four designated sites, at no charge. Loads of leaves must be covered, and all bags of leaves must be emptied out at the disposal site. Branches and other yard debris, including loads with a mix of leaves, are not eligible for free disposal with the coupon and will be charged at the regular disposal rate. Coupons are intended to be used by individuals, not businesses.

Coupons are required and must be filled out with the name and address of an individual on the coupon, not a business, to be valid. Some drop-off sites may have a few spare coupons available, but residents are strongly encouraged to print, clip or get coupons in advance of making the trip to drop off leaves. Coupons in Español, Русский and Tiếng Việt are also available. 

Here’s how to get your coupons for free leaf disposal:

– Print out a coupon from City of Vancouver Solid Waste webpage: www.cityofvancouver.us/leafcoupon 

– Print out a coupon from Clark County Green Neighbors webpage: www.clarkgreenneighbors.org

– Clip a coupon from Waste Connections’ annual Recycling Done Right newsletter, which will be sent in October to all residences in Clark County. Coupons are also available on Waste Connections’ webpage: www.wcnorthwest.com/leaves

– Call Vancouver Solid Waste at 360-487-7160 or email solidwaste@cityofvancouver.us to have a coupon sent to you by mail.

– Pick up a printed coupon from Vancouver City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St.; Vancouver Utility Services, 2323 General Anderson Ave.; Vancouver Marine Park Engineering office, 4500 S.E. Columbia Way; Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way; and Waste Connections Customer Service office, 12115 N.E. 99th St. #1830.

These are the four participating leaf disposal sites this year, shown below and printed on the coupon. 

– H & H Wood Recyclers, 8401 N.E. 117th Ave. Phone: (360) 892-2805. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

– McFarlane’s Bark, 8806 N.E. 117th Ave. Phone: (360) 892-6125. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in October/November; closed Sunday in December.

– Triangle Resources, 612 S.E. Union St, Camas. Phone: (360) 834-7253. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

– West Van Materials Recovery Center, 6601 N.W. Old Lower River Road. Phone: (360) 737-1727. Hours: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday. Check webcam for real-time lines before going: www.columbiaresourcecompany.com/west-vancouver-material-recovery.

In Vancouver, property owners are responsible for managing the leaves from their trees. Deliberately raking or blowing leaves into the street and leaving them there is unlawful. Street sweepers are generally no match for big, wet, heavy piles of leaves, which can cause localized flooding. The free leaf disposal program is intended to provide options for Vancouver residents with a lot of trees, while also protecting our stormwater system and streets from flooding.

Other resources for leaf disposal include leaving the leaves, on-site composting or subscribing to Waste Connections’ optional organics service, available within the City of Vancouver and parts of Ridgefield, or optional yard debris service, available in portions of Clark County. Visit www.wcnorthwest.com to learn more.

Information provided by city of Vancouver.