When Is My Garbage Day in Toronto?

the short answer: it depends on where you live. toronto splits the city into zones, and each zone has its own day. here's how it works.

How Toronto Collection Works

toronto splits the city into 10 collection zones.
each zone has a day: mon, tue, wed, thu, or fri.

there are two calendars per day (e.g. Monday1, Monday2).
this determines which weeks you get garbage pickup.

Every single week, you put out:

  🟢 Green Bin (food scraps, organics)

Every other week, you put out:

  🗑️  Garbage (whatever's left)
  ♻️  Recycling (blue bin — paper, containers, glass)

Seasonally:

  🌿 Yard Waste ........... March through December
  🎄 Christmas Trees ...... January only

Find Your Collection Day

Two ways to find your collection day:

  1. look up your postal code → see your
     exact schedule with dates and items

  2. sign up for SMS reminders → get a text
     the night before every collection day
     (free, no app, works on any phone)

How do I know which week is garbage week?

Garbage goes out every other week in Toronto. The tricky part is knowing which week is yours — it depends on your calendar number (1 or 2). The easiest way to never think about it again is to sign up for a reminder. We text you exactly what to put out.

What time should I put my bins out?

Bins must be out by 7:00 AM on your collection day. You can set them out the evening before, after 7:00 PM. Place them at the curb — not blocking the sidewalk or on the road. Bring them back in by 8:00 PM on collection day or you might get a friendly bylaw notice.

What happens to garbage collection on holidays?

When a statutory holiday falls on or before your collection day that week, everything shifts forward by one day. So if Monday is a holiday and your collection day is Wednesday, it moves to Thursday. Check out our holiday schedule for the full list.

My garbage wasn't picked up. What do I do?

First, check if there was a holiday that week (your day may have shifted). If not, make sure your items were set out by 7 AM and sorted correctly. Report a missed collection to the City of Toronto by calling 311 or using the 311 Toronto website. They're usually pretty responsive.

How many garbage bags can I put out?

Most Toronto households are allowed 3 items of garbage per bi-weekly collection. This includes bags, bins, and containers. Extra items need a city garbage tag ($4.19 each, available at most convenience stores and City counters). There's no limit on green bin, and recycling has no item cap either.