Courtenay residents tackling their fall cleanup will soon have a free option for disposing of leaves, branches and other yard waste that will not fit inside their organics cart.

The City’s seasonal yard-waste drop-off opens Monday and will remain available through Saturday, November 28th.

The collection site is located at the end of McKenzie Avenue, beside the City Operations Centre. It can be accessed from Cumberland Road, west of the railway tracks between McPhee and Piercy avenues.

The site will operate from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The free service is available only to Courtenay residents who receive municipal curbside collection and is intended for households with more yard waste than their green cart can accommodate.

Accepted materials include leaves, grass clippings, flowers, plants and branches measuring less than three inches in diameter.

Yard waste must be brought loose or inside paper yard-waste bags.

Plastic bags—including those advertised as compostable or biodegradable—will not be accepted and must be removed before material is dropped off.

Food scraps and food-soiled paper are also prohibited at the seasonal collection site. Those items should continue to be placed inside household organics carts for regular curbside collection.

All eligible yard waste collected through the program will be composted.

Learn more and access the portal at City of Courtenay.