Kitchener’s leaf drop-off sites now open

NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF KITCHENER
*************************
Eight convenient leaf drop-off sites for the city’s 2019 leaf collection program are now open to the public. A reminder that NO bags, not even paper yard waste bags, will be accepted at the drop sites. Leaves are piled loose in the following locations for collection, and should be de-bagged at the site.

Drop-off sites, located in neighbourhoods across the city, are open seven days a week during daylight hours until Friday, Dec. 13. The eight leaf drop-off locations are:

• Schaeffer Park – Bloomingdale Road
• Breithaupt Park – Kinsman Park, off Union Street
• Kitchener Auditorium – Ottawa Street North entrance
• Meinzinger Park Soccer Fields – Homer Watson Boulevard
• Lions Arena – Rittenhouse Road
• South West Optimist Sportsfield – Pioneer Drive
• Cherry Park – Strange Street and Waverly Road (to open on, or around Nov. 1)
• Hofstetter Park – 40 Hofstetter Ave.

Drop-off locations are for leaves only. All other materials left at the drop-off locations will be subject to a fine. All other materials that are left at the drop-off locations will be considered garbage and therefore illegal dumping, and will be subject to a fine. NEW: commercial haulers are not permitted in the leaf sites. City staff will monitor the drop-off sites and take a zero tolerance approach with offenders.

All residents – no matter where they live in the city – are encouraged to use this order of preferences when dealing with their leaves:

1. Mulch them with the lawn mower if possible or practical.
2. Compost the leaves on your property if possible.
3. Take your leaves to one of the eight approved leaf drop-off sites.
4. Bag your leaves for pick-up as yard waste on the designated days.
5. For those properties in the designated areas only, rake the leaves to the curb for pickup by the city during the designated weeks.

Residents can use the online tool to find out the leaf collection options for their specific address or by calling 519-741-2345.

Residents living within the identified zones on the map are permitted to rake their leaves to the curb once during their collection week, on the weekend before their scheduled pick-up. Residents living in areas identified as “hot spots” on the map will receive multiple leaf collections, as required, to keep the streets clear of leaves; leaves in these zones must be raked out no later than Dec. 2. Additionally, city staff will monitor all Kitchener’s streets on a regular basis to ensure roadways remain safe and clear.

Since leaves that are raked to the curb do cause some safety concerns, all residents – no matter where they live in the city – are encouraged to use leaves for mulching or composting on their properties. Learn more about the benefits to your garden along with helpful tips.

Residents who live outside of the more heavily forested areas who are not able to mulch or compost their leaves on their own properties can also use the Region of Waterloo yard waste program. The program offers collection in kraft paper bags bi-weekly until the end of November. For more information about the Region’s yard-waste program, see the green pages in the Bell telephone book and the Phone Guide, visit www.region.waterloo.on.ca or call 519-883-5100.

For more information about Kitchener’s leaf collection program, please visit the city’s website at https://www.kitchener.ca/leafcollection or call 519-741-2345.

*************************