The Comox Valley FireSmart™ Resilience Committee, in partnership with Vancouver Island Enterprises, is pleased to announce a collaborative effort to host a free yard waste drop-off program from April 15 – May 15 to help residents create more wildfire-resistant properties.
Residents can bring their yard waste to 1200 Knight Road in Comox, seven days per week, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Accepted Materials: Leaves, grass clippings, branches up to 3 inches in diameter, plants. Materials can be loose or in paper yard waste bags.
- Not Accepted: Food waste, plastic bags, rocks, or concrete, root balls, and stumps.
Some invasive species are not accepted through this drop-off program, but the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre does accept them. Although it is a landfilled material, you will only be charged the yard waste rate of $65 per tonne (or $10 for loads under 150 kilograms). Below are the list of invasive species under the CVRD and Town of Comox bylaws.
CVRD Bylaw No. 764 (Schedule A - Noxious Weeds (Eradicate)
- Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria)
- Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)
- Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea biersteinii)
- English Ivy (Hedera helix)
- Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
- Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
- Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
- Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica)
- Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus discolor)
- English Ivy
- Giant Hogweed
- Periwinkle
- Lamium
- Holly
- Japanese Knotweed
"Spring is the perfect time to clear your property and reduce wildfire risks," says Lt. Brent Craven of Comox Fire Rescue. "By removing dry leaves, twigs, and branches from your yard and gutters, you can help protect your home and community from wildfire damage."
This initiative allows residents to dispose of extra yard waste that may not fit in curbside containers—free of charge. The program is open to all residents of the Comox Valley and Regional District. Commercial operators are not eligible to participate in this program.
FireSmart BC is a provincial initiative focused on reducing wildfire risks to homes, communities, and forests through proactive prevention measures. The Comox Valley FireSmart Resilience Committee is a multi-agency partnership with a shared vision of protecting communities from the threat of wildfire through programming and public education in the City of Courtenay, Comox Valley Regional District, K'ómoks First Nation, Town of Comox and Village of Cumberland.
For more information about how to better FireSmart your home and property, visit comoxvalleyrd.ca/firesmart, or call your local fire department.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a partnership of three electoral areas and three municipalities operating on the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of the land. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on providing sustainable services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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Media Contact:
Gord Schreiner, Fire Chief, Town of Comox
firehall@comox.ca
250-339-2432
"FireSmart, Intelli-feu and other associated Marks are trademarks of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre."
