Spring cleaning 101

Use our online tools and waste management programs to sort waste properly!

Spring is in full bloom, which means you may have already started your seasonal cleaning. The City of Vaughan is encouraging you to keep your spring clean ‘green’ by disposing of your waste items in the correct places.

Here are examples of common household items that go in the blue box:

• Aluminum foil, trays and plates
• Cardboard – flattened and tied in bundles with string, no larger than 0.6 metres by 0.6 metres by 0.3 metres (two feet by two feet by one foot)
• Glass bottles and jars
• Paper
• Plastic bottles and food containers – excluding black plastic

Here are items that go in the green bin:

• Diapers
• Food and food scraps
• Napkins
• Paper towels and plates
• Plants
• Tissues

Here are items that go in the garbage:

• Black plastic, such as takeout containers and cutlery
• Coffee cups and pods
• Food wrappers and bags
• Sanitary wipes
• Styrofoam™

To help you sort your other waste items, the City has many online tools and waste management programs available!

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.

All two-piece toilets must be disassembled to be collected. Watch this short video on how to disassemble a two-piece toilet.

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 find the right bin for each waste item easily. It also provides information on curbside collection requirements.

Recycle Coach app

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.

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 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, electronics, hazardous waste and more at one of the York Region’s waste depots. The Vaughan location is at 130 McCleary Crt. Fees and restrictions may apply. Please visit york.ca/WasteDepots for more information.

Waste reduction tips

While the City is a municipal leader in waste management, 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 of your property for your neighbours to take.
• Turn your fruit and vegetable scraps into garden fertilizer! The City provides backyard composters for sale online through Service Vaughan.
• Repair or repurpose used clothing. Use online tutorials to learn 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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