Dispose of your cigarette butts properly!

You wouldn’t toss something on the ground at home and walk away – so you shouldn’t when you’re out in the community either! Everyone can help keep Vaughan clean and beautiful, and that includes properly disposing of cigarette and cigar butts. 

Not only could discarding cigarette and cigar butts on the ground leave you with a fine of at least $500 under the City’s Littering and Dumping By-law (PDF), you could also be fined for smoking in a park for $100 to $5,000 for a first offence, unless in a designated area, according to the City’s Smoking By-law (PDF). It’s also the neighbourly thing to do!

Do your part and put your butts in the garbage after they have been properly extinguished and keep them off the ground. 

In 2023, the City of Vaughan conducted its first-ever litter audit. More than 95 sites across all five wards were analyzed to determine litter trends in the community. The most common littered item was cigarette butts. Read the full litter audit report (PDF) to learn more.

Unsure what waste item goes where? When in doubt, use the City’s ‘What Goes Where?’ tool! This online sorting program allows you to find the right bin for each waste item easily and provides information on curbside collection requirements. You can also download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play to help determine what goes where. The app also provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put at the curb each week.

Here’s how you can help reduce litter in the community: 

Whether you are new to Vaughan or a longtime resident, there are many simple steps you can take to help preserve our city’s beauty! 

When you’re in the community:

• Take mail home with you. When you head to your community mailbox, take any recycling or admail home with you. Please note: community mailboxes belong to, and are maintained by, Canada Post – this includes addressing litter, snow, ice and damage to the mailboxes. If you spot litter or vandalism at your community mailbox, submit a service request to Canada Post. You can also contact them by telephone at 1-866-607-6301 or on social media through X or Facebook.
• Report littering and illegal dumping. Littering and illegal dumping are prohibited under the City’s Dumping By-law (PDF). If you witness either of these actions, report it to Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or service@vaughan.ca.
• Use the right bins. While outside, place your waste in the nearest garbage, blue box or green bin. Whether you’re throwing out a candy wrapper or coffee cup, be sure to use the right one! If the bins are full, take your garbage home with you.

• Bag and bin pet waste. When walking outside with your pets, clean up after them and use the waste bins provided. If the bins are full, take your pet waste home and put it in your green bin. The fine for failing to pick up after your pet is $200. To report pet waste on public property, call 905-832-2281 or email service@vaughan.ca.

• Report full or overfilled public waste bins. If you notice full or overflowing bins around the community, report it to Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or service@vaughan.ca. Doing so will generate a service request for staff to action in priority sequence.

When you’re at home:

• Do not overfill your blue box. Leave space, at least 7.5 centimetres (three inches), at the top of the box to keep your materials from blowing out of the box on windy days. Flatten items, such as cardboard, and pack them in the blue box carefully. Put heavier items, such as glass jars, on top of lighter ones, such as paper and plastic containers. 

• Do not obstruct the boulevard. Landscaping features such as inflatables, decorative lights, fencing, sports nets, decorative stones, pots, bird baths, furniture and more, cannot impede pedestrian traffic, obstruct sight lines or hinder City operations, like snow removal. These items should not be within 30 centimetres (12 inches) of a sidewalk or one metre (40 inches) of a street curb, as per the City’s Encroachment By-law (PDF).

To read more about the City’s commitment to protecting and respecting the environment, and fostering a sustainable community today and for future generations, visit vaughan.ca/litter.

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