KITCHENER -- The City of Kitchener will be opening eight leaf drop-off site in a couple of weeks.

Starting on Oct. 16, the sites will stay open seven days a week during daylight hours until Dec. 11.

The sites are spread out across the city:

  • Schaefer Park on Bloomingdale Park
  • Breithaupt Park off Union Street
  • Kitchener Auditorium at the Ottawa Street North entrance
  • Meinzinger Park Soccer Fields on Homer Watson Boulevard
  • Lions Arena on Rittenhouse Road
  • Upper Canada Park on Pioneer Drive
  • Cherry Park between Strange Street and Waverly Road
  • Hofstetter Park at 40 Hofstetter Ave.

The city also offers a loose-leaf collection service in areas with heavy tree cover. That will run from Nov. 9 to Nov. 27, but each area will only get a single pickup.

Officials are reminding the public that yard waste bags are not accepted at the drop-off sites. Instead, people are asked to de-bag their leaves at the sites.

The drop-off sites are for leaves only, and anything else dropped there will be considered illegal dumping, which is subject to a fine.

As an environmentally friendly option, you can reuse your leaves in your compost pile instead of packaging or having them removed.