Adding ‘green’ to your spring clean!

Drop off extra organic waste at select community centres now until April 2

Are you spring cleaning your home? If so, you may end up with more organic waste than usual. The City of Vaughan is here to help you properly dispose of extra organics by placing temporary green bins at select community centres!

Starting today until Sunday, April 2, you can toss extra organic waste into a public green bin located outside each of the following community centres:

• • Father E. Bulfon Community Centre
  • Garnet A. Williams Community Centre (Drop offs at this location will run until Sunday, April 9)
  • Maple Community Centre
  • North Thornhill Community Centre
  • Vellore Village Community Centre

The green bins will be open to drop off your organics from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Staff will empty the bins daily after they close at 9 p.m. While Garnet A. Williams Community Centre remains closed for renovations, the parking lot is open and available to access the temporary green bin.

As a reminder, here are items you CAN place in the green bin:

• Diapers
• Feminine hygiene products
• Flowers
• Food peels and scraps
• Napkins
• Paper plates and bowls
• Paper towels
• Small amounts of shredded paper
• Tissues

Here are some items you CANNOT place in the green bin:

• Cans
• Cardboard
• Coffee cups and pods
• Plastic bags, containers and wrap
• Sanitary wipes
• Styrofoam™

Another option is to place your organic waste in your household green bin for curbside collection. You can place an unlimited amount of green bins curbside for City pick up each week. Purchase additional bins from the City online at vaughan.ca/ServiceVaughan.

Organic material currently makes up approximately 30 per cent of Vaughan’s household waste. That’s why using a green bin can make a big difference in reducing garbage waste. The materials you place in the green bin are processed into nutrient-rich compost used to fertilize farmers’ fields. For more information on organics, visit the City’s Green Bin Organics webpage.

Do you have other items to dispose of? The City has many online tools and collection programs to help you sort your waste materials correctly this spring – and beyond!

Double-Up Days

During the weeks of March 21 or March 28, depending on your scheduled collection day, you can place up to six garbage items curbside for collection as part of Double-Up Days – and no paid tags are required. Visit 

vaughan.ca/WasteCalendar to view your collection schedule.

Large and bulky item collection

If you have large or bulky items to throw away, such as mattresses, chairs and toilets, you can place them curbside for collection on your regular garbage collection day. Each item is counted individually toward the three-item limit. All items must be kept dry and cannot exceed 68 kilograms (150 pounds). Items must be free of all sharp and hazardous objects, such as nails. Sofa beds must have the mattress removed and the frame securely tied. The City reserves the right to refuse unsafe, overweight or oversized items.

Textile donation bins

Upcycle your clothes, shoes, rags and more! Drop off gently used, old or unwanted clothing or textiles to one of the many textile donation bins located throughout Vaughan.

‘What Goes Where?’

When in doubt, use the City's ‘What Goes Where?’ tool! It’s an online sorting program that allows you to easily find the right bin for each waste item. It also provides information on curbside collection requirements.

Recycle Coach app

Download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put at the curb each week.

Waste-less Virtual Visit

City staff offer one-on-one Waste-less Virtual Visit sessions – via FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom – to help you understand how to properly dispose of items, reduce waste in landfills and answer any questions related to the City’s waste collection program. To book an appointment, contact Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or service@vaughan.ca.

York Region waste depots

You can drop off garbage, recycling, electronic waste and other waste at one of the York Region’s waste depots. Fees and restrictions may apply. Please visit york.ca/WasteDepots for more information.

Waste reduction tips

Vaughan is a municipal leader in waste management, but everyone plays a part in keeping the environment clean, green and healthy. Consider these simple tips to help reduce your waste:

• Donate gently used items to a charity of your choice.
• Participate in Curbside Giveaway Days on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28. This annual program allows you to place gently used items at the curb for your neighbours to take.
• Turn your fruit and vegetable scraps into garden fertilizer! The City provides backyard composters for sale through Service Vaughan.
• Repair or repurpose used clothing. Online tutorials can teach you how to make basic clothing repairs, such as sewing a hem or button, mending holes or replacing zippers.
• Visit online reuse platforms to sell your unwanted goods. You can also organize a garage sale with clothes, household items and other textiles you no longer need. 
• Safely dispose of damaged electronic waste items, such as laptops, at a York Region waste depot. Never place electronic waste curbside.
• Visit recyclemyelectronics.ca to search for your nearest electronic retail recycling location.
• Dispose of household hazardous waste, such as batteries, pool chemicals and paint, at a York Region waste depot. Hazardous household waste should never be placed in the garbage or down a drain.

For more information on the City’s waste services, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

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