Vaughan, the clean city

Spring maintenance continues with litter cleanup, grass cutting and more

The City of Vaughan’s Public Works crews work around the clock to keep Vaughan’s public spaces vibrant and beautiful. Our spring-cleaning efforts continue as we keep the community safe, clean and beautiful for your enjoyment.

Here is an update on our operations:

Litter cleanup

Our cleaning blitz continues with crews collecting litter from Vaughan’s parks, open spaces, City boulevards and sidewalks, paths and trails. Using Madvac (an innovative litter collection vacuum that targets hard-to-reach areas), the City collects litter and debris from the ground. Watch this video to see Madvac in action, which has collected more than 5,700 kilograms (12,700 pounds) of litter so far this year! This innovation is another way Vaughan is enhancing and expanding resources to stay on top of litter. 

Have you noticed new garbage bins at your local park or community centre? These new bins were designed with a small entrance hole to help reduce illegal dumping, windblown garbage and deter wildlife by eliminating easily accessible food sources. This is yet another example of the City’s ongoing commitment to respecting our environment and fostering a sustainable community.

You can help keep the community clean by following these tips:

• Put waste in its place: while outside, place your waste in the nearest garbage, blue box or green bin. Be sure to use the right one!
• Bag it and bin it: when walking outside with your pets, clean up after them and use the waste bins provided. If the bins are full, take your garbage and pet waste home. It belongs in the green bin at home or waste bins out in the community. As a reminder, you must pick up after your pet. The fine for failing to do so is $200. To report pet waste on public property, contact Service Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or service@vaughan.ca.

Boulevards

We maintain municipally-owned boulevards along roadways that are not in front of or adjacent to private property. Maintenance of boulevards on private property is the landowner's responsibility, including side lots. Boulevard maintenance includes regular grass cutting (every two weeks), and removing debris and leaves. Approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,400 pounds) of litter and illegal dumping have already been removed this year from City boulevards and the right-of-way.

Shrubs, flowers and more

Not only are we keeping Vaugan clean, we’re also making our community more beautiful, too! Shrub bed planting and maintenance (including pruning, mulching, weeding, litter cleanup and watering) takes place regularly throughout the season. Our landscapers are busy installing 550 hanging baskets and 600

planters across the city this month.

Potholes

We’re also working to keep our road network in a state of good repair by performing routine patrols across the City’s 2,200 lane-kilometres of roads year-round. This season alone, our crews have repaired more than 2,100 potholes. Watch this video to see how it’s done!

Parks and open spaces
Grass cutting in parks and open spaces continues – grass is cut regularly in each park throughout the spring and summer. For more information, visit the City’s Grass Cutting and Weeds webpage.

Water maintenance
We continue our annual inspection of fire hydrants and continue to flush watermains and cycle valves to keep pipes clean, clear and operational. Staff have inspected more than 2,500 and painted more than 290 fire hydrants so far this year. Staff also attend water shut-off and turn-on requests, which increase during the spring and summer. Non-emergency water shut-off and turn-on requests can be made online and must be submitted four to six weeks before the service is required.

Request maintenance services online

Did you know you can request repair and maintenance services online through Service Vaughan? Through the online portal, you can request maintenance for:

• curbs, sidewalks or interlocks
• new pavement markings
• parks, playgrounds or splashpads
• roads and boulevards
• sports fields, courts or skate parks
• and much more!

Once a ticket has been created, staff will respond to each request in a priority sequence.

To learn more about our spring operations, visit vaughan.ca/seasonal.

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