City announces changes to yard waste drop-off during state of emergency

After hundreds of residents have already attended the yard waste drop-off depot this week, the City of Kingston is implementing new drop-off rules in an attempt to keep citizens and staff safe, and keep the operations of the depot running smoothly.

On Thursday, Apr. 9, 2020, the City of Kingston announced that residents are being asked to only bring their yard waste to the depot on their regular waste collection day. This means, for example, if you waste is collected curbside on Mondays, then you will be permitted to bring yard waste to the depot on Mondays. These changes will be in effect until at least Sunday, May 3, 2020, and will help to ensure the operation of the Kingston Area Recycling Centre (KARC) is not overwhelmed.

According to the City, the yard waste drop-off depot has seen a substantial influx of visitors this week. More than 1,500 people have attended the depot so far this week, which is well above the normal level of visits that usually take place at the start of spring.

“We understand that residents are taking time to clean their yards now. However, the volume of visitors has caused traffic concerns and created challenges to accommodate for physical-distancing with the number of people gathering at the depot at a time,” said Heather Roberts, Director of Solid Waste Services for the City of Kingston.  “We need to put plans in place to spread out the visits to the site which will reduce traffic volumes on the road, wait-time frustrations, and safeguard the health of those working at and visiting the depot.”

The yard waste depot, which is located at the KARC at 196 Lappan’s Lane, will be closed for the entire Easter weekend beginning at the end of the day Thursday, Apr. 9, 2020. As previously announced by the City, the recycling depot at KARC has been closed on Saturdays since the week of March 16. The hours of operation for both the recycling depot and yard waste drop-off depot will be reviewed at the end of April, the City advises.

If residents must drop off yard waste, they are being asked to do so only on their regularly-scheduled curbside waste collection day. For the week following the Easter long weekend, residents are reminded that curbside waste collection will be delayed one day – If your waste is normally collected on Mondays, it will instead be collected on Tuesday next week, and residents with regular Friday collection will have their waste collected on Saturday, Apr. 18, 2020. Please keep this in mind if you plan to attend the yard waste drop-off depot and adjust plans accordingly.

The City has also announced two Saturday yard waste drop-off days for residents on top of having access to the depot on their normal waste collection days. Those who live west of Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard may access the site on Saturday, Apr. 25, 2020. Those who live east of Sir John A Macdonald Boulevard can access the site on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Residents who choose to visit the KARC should expect delays and may notice:

• City staff on site to help implement the new rules for using the yard waste drop-off depot
• New electric signs at the corner of John Counter Boulevard and Lappan’s Lane

Overall, the City is reminding residents to carefully consider any non-essential trips that they might be taking during the COVID-19 state of emergency, and is urging residents to hold on to yard waste until after emergency measures are lifted. Trips to drop off yard waste are not considered essential.