The municipality’s multi-week spring cleanup program includes street, sidewalk and bicycle lane sweeping, removal of debris and litter, emptying of garbage cans and other general spring maintenance.
Street and sidewalk cleaning
A substantial street cleaning program takes place every year between April and November to ensure streets are kept reasonably clear of debris for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The program also helps decrease the amount of debris and sediment entering the storm drain system.
Eight municipal vacuum street sweepers and two tandem broom trucks are used 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. Other streets within the urban core area are cleaned no less than three times per year.
Bike lanes are addressed as the streets are cleaned.
The Halifax Peninsula program is completed during the overnight hours to lessen the impact on daytime traffic and parking. All other areas within the program are completed during the day.
Parking restrictions
Parking restrictions to facilitate street cleaning on the Halifax Residents are advised to find off-street parking on the days their neighbourhood is being serviced. Please refer to on-street signage to determine when parking restrictions are in effect. Vehicles may be ticketed if they obstruct street cleaning operations.
Parks and open spaces
Municipal staff pick up litter, remove downed branches and other winter debris and empty garbage cans in municipal parks, playgrounds, sports fields, trails and other open spaces.
Crews will repair damage caused by snow-clearing equipment. If residents know of turf or curb damage on municipal property, or if your own property sustained damage, please call 311 to file an incident report.
How can you help?
Residents are encouraged to help by organizing a neighbourhood cleanup in their community or simply picking up litter and debris in and around their own property. Litter or garbage on private property is the responsibility of the property owner and should be properly sorted and prepared for curbside collection.
The municipality provides year-round collection of one large bulky item, such as a piece of furniture, every garbage collection day. The Otter Lake Waste Processing & Disposal Facility also accepts excess bags of garbage from residents, for a fee.
Residents are also reminded that 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 bags – for curbside organics collection. Material must be placed curbside no later than 7 a.m. on collection day to ensure pickup.
Common questions
Why does street cleaning on the Halifax Peninsula happen at night?
Streets on the Halifax Peninsula are cleaned during the overnight hours to lessen the impact on daytime traffic and parking. All other areas within the street cleaning program are completed during the day.
Why do the streets on the Halifax Peninsula need to be cleaned every week?
The Halifax Peninsula is a heavily-treed area, which requires more maintenance to keep the roadway clear for all users. The regular overnight schedule allows crews to address any buildup of fallen leaves that can clog catch basins, potentially putting homes and streets at risk of flooding. It also helps to keep these areas clean and presentable.
Why do some streets have parking restrictions for street cleaning and others don’t?
This decision goes back several decades, when residents on the Halifax Peninsula were asked about their preference for street cleaning. Some areas opted to have one side of the street cleaned one evening and the other side the next night. This requires parking on alternate sides of the street for two nights of the week to accommodate the street cleaners. Other areas chose to have a numbered street, which means there is no requirement to move your vehicle.
What has the municipality done to diminish the noise made by the street cleaners?
In 2016, the municipality purchased four quieter street cleaning machines to minimize noise.
Sometimes I take the time to move my vehicle, as per the posted parking restrictions, but no service is delivered. Why is that?
We appreciate your cooperation to help keep our municipality clean. The street cleaning machines are subject to wear and tear and requires regular maintenance. It may be that a machine was broken down and wasn't able to service all its scheduled areas but will be back in operation once repairs are complete.