When should I start using my new bins?
Start using the bins as soon as you get them.
Where do I place my bins to receive collection?
If you have a driveway, place your Blue Bin or Garbage Bin on your driveway; otherwise place either bin at the edge of the sidewalk, blocking as little of the sidewalk as possible. The bin lid must be closed and the bin positioned so the handle and wheels face your house.
Place either bin 0.5 metres (approximately 2 feet) away from your Green Bin. There should be 3 metres (10 feet) of clearance above your Blue Bin or Garbage Bin to allow for mechanized collection.
In the winter, do not place bins behind or on top of snow banks. Please make sure they are clearly visible and accessible.
What do I do with my old collection containers?
You can use your blue/grey boxes to carry your recyclables from the house to the bin, or for storage in your home. Garbage cans/containers are made out of a mixture of materials (metal, different types of plastic) so they aren’t ideal for recycling. If your former garbage container has two handles, you can reuse it as an open top rigid container for leaf and yard waste or for storage.
Where should I keep the bin(s)?
The bins are designed to be stored outside in all weather. It is entirely a resident’s choice, but there are lots of options, such as a) store it wherever you kept your garbage can; b) in the garage; c) in the backyard; d) in an outdoor storage unit; e) by the side of the house.
Can I line my bin with a plastic bag?
No. Items should be placed directly in the Blue Bin and the Garbage Bin.
Blue Bin: Recyclables should be loose and not bagged. Shredded paper only can be put in a clear plastic bag, tied closed and put into Blue Bin.
Garbage Bin: There is no need to use garbage bags. You can put smaller bags into the Garbage Bin or you can place your garbage in loose.
How do I exchange my bin for a different size?
Please e-mail toronto@311.ca or call 311 to exchange your Bin. Please note fees may apply.
What if my bin goes missing or gets stolen?
Please e-mail toronto@311.ca or call 311 to report the missing bin. A Service Request will be issued and a new bin will be delivered. Until the bin(s) arrive:
For recycling: You may use clear plastic bags until your new Blue Bin is delivered.
For garbage: You may use regular garbage bags with City issued tags until the bin is delivered. Garbage bag tags are available for $3.10 each at Toronto Canadian Tire stores. Residents may also bring their garbage to a transfer station and pay a fee for disposal.
What if I have other bin problems like the wheel is broken, the lid is damaged or it is in need of a repair?
Residents should e-mail toronto@311.ca or call 311 to request a repair to either the Blue Bin or Garbage Bin. A Service Request will be issued and the bin vendor will repair or replace, if necessary, within five business days. No fee will be charged to the resident for the repair of a bin and the bin repair will be completed on site.
What if I can't fit all my recycling into my bin?
All recycling goes inside the Blue Bin with the lid closed. This prevents litter and allows for automated pick-up. There is no limit on how much recycling you can put out. The City encourages residents who consistently have excess recycling to order a larger bin. If you occasionally have overflow recycling, please put these items in a clear, plastic bag or an additional bin and place it out beside your Blue Bin, or ask your neighbour if they have room in their Blue Bin.
To exchange your Blue Bin for a larger size or get another bin at no cost, e-mail toronto@311.ca or call 311.
Will the City pick up any extra recycling that won't fit in my Blue Bin if I set it out at the curb?
While the City asks that you put your recyclables inside the Blue Bin with the lid closed, we recognize there may be some times that you have additional recycling. On certain occasions (e.g. seasonal holiday periods), when you may have more recycling, the City will pick up additional recycling provided it is put in a clear, plastic bag and placed beside your Blue Bin on the appropriate collection day. Should collection crews notice a home continually placing extra recycling out, they will pick up the recycling, but will also sticker the Blue Bin notifying the resident to either upsize their bin or get another one to better accommodate their volume of recyclables and to ensure future collection of all recyclables. Households that continue to regularly put out bagged excess recycling each collection cycle, after receiving the sticker notice, may find their extra recyclables will not be collected. They are asked to either email toronto@311.ca or call 311 to request either an additional Blue Bin or a larger size bin at no cost.
What can I do with lots of corrugated cardboard leftover from purchasing a new appliance/moving? It won't all fit in my Blue Bin.
Cardboard should be flattened/broken down and placed in your Blue Bin with the lid closed. In situations where the cardboard will not fit into the Blue Bin, i.e. as a result of moving or the purchasing of a new appliance, please flatten and bundle the cardboard with string or twine to a maximum dimension of 75x75x30 cm (2x2x1 ft.) otherwise the bundles will not fit into the opening of the truck. You may also take it to a Drop-off Depot.
What should I do with my shredded paper?
Please place shredded paper in a clear plastic bag, tie closed and put it in your Blue Bin. In order for shredded paper to be recycled properly, it must be contained in a clear plastic bag. Loose shredded paper is too small to travel through the necessary recycling separation machinery at the recycling facility. Staff will remove the clear bag at the appropriate stage of the separation process.
What should I do with my disposable coffee cups?
Only empty foam polystyrene coffee cups without lids can be placed in the Blue Bin. Paper coffee cups, their sleeves and lids cannot be put in either the Blue Bin or Green Bin and must be placed into the Garbage Bin.
What if I don’t produce enough garbage to fill even a Small-size Garbage Bin every two weeks?
You have the option of waiting until your Garbage Bin is full before setting it out for collection.
What is the City doing for properties that are so small they have problems handling two bins?
The City has options for bag only or dual-use bin for both types of collection (one week, for recycling and the following week for garbage) for properties that don’t have adequate space. To qualify, the City must conduct a site visit and approve an alternate method. E-mail toronto@311.ca or call 311 to request a site visit.
We have street parking. How will the trucks manage to collect my bins?
Currently, the collection of recycling and garbage bins is not hindered by on-street parking. During daytime collection hours, there is generally enough room between cars for staff to move bins safely and efficiently. It’s likely these areas will be serviced by semi-automated trucks. If the collection staff cannot move between the parked cars, staff will roll the bin to the nearest curb cut and will return your bin to its set out location.
What if I go on vacation or otherwise don’t set out garbage?
Residents will choose a bin size and be charged an annual rate whether they set out the bin or not.
What should I do with extra bags of garbage?
Extra garbage bags can be left beside your Garbage Bin if you attach a City-issued garbage bag tag to each bag. For 2010, property owners received four free green garbage tags that will expire December 31, 2010.
Additional garbage bag tags can be purchased for $3.10 each at Toronto Canadian Tire stores. Residents may also bring their garbage to a transfer station and pay a fee for disposal.
What about oversize items?
If the item's dimensions are too big to fit into your empty Garbage Bin, then you may place this oversize garbage item beside your Garbage Bin for free collection. Please leave a space of 0.5 metres (2 feet) between your Garbage Bin and the item to provide collection access.
There is no need to cut up or breakdown your oversize item because in the future the City expects to collect and divert this item for reuse, recycling or disassembly, to avoid sending it to landfill.
Should I purchase a compactor to make the most of my Garbage Bin?
Solid Waste Management Services reserves the right to increase fees if we find that individual homeowners are compacting their waste. Our collectors will be monitoring the set out of compacted waste.
If a resident alternates one bin for both recycling and garbage collection and the resident needs the larger bin for recycling material and only needs the medium bin for garbage, what size bin would they be charged for?
They will pay the annual fee associated with the larger size bin.
Why aren't large families living in single-family houses offered preferential treatment in the Bins Program?
The new volume-based rate system for garbage is based directly on the quantity of waste set out for collection and disposal and is modeled after other utilities such as water, electricity and natural gas. For example, a large family will use more water than a single neighbour next door and consequently will have a larger Water Bill. The cost to the City to collect and dispose of the waste generated by a large family is more than the cost to manage the single neighbour's smaller quantity of waste and this is reflected in the volume-based rate system. The Solid Waste Management Fees funds all of the other diversion programs including recycling, organic processing, leaf and yard waste collection for composting, implementing packaging reduction policies, Community Environment Days and collection of durable goods among other programs. It costs the City more to manage the greater volume of garbage, recycling and organic waste generated by a large family.
Are black/green garbage bags required to hold garbage placed in the bin or is garbage to be placed loose in the bin?
Do not line the bin with a plastic bag. You have the option of placing your garbage in a regular garbage bag and then into the bin, but that isn’t necessary. You can put smaller, grocery size bags of garbage into the bin or you can place your garbage loose into the bin, eliminating the need to continually purchase garbage bags.
How carefully will the semi-automated and fully automated collection system handle my bins?
The mechanized system of automated collection is able to replace the bins upright in the same place they were picked up from. In the cases of semi-automated collection, which may mean the collector has to wheel your bin to a different location to collect it, the bin will be wheeled back to its set out location.
Can raccoons get into my Garbage and Blue Bins?
The Garbage Bin and Blue Bin have an attached lid. Most raccoons focus on the Green Bin but may try to get into the Blue Bin and Garbage Bin. The best way to “critter” proof your bins is to eliminate as much odour as possible by rinsing recyclables and food packaging (e.g. pop cans, glass bottles and jars) before placing them in the appropriate bins.
Raccoons and other animals generally only open bins once one is pushed over. To prevent bins from being knocked over, secure them against a wall, fence or tree using a strap, hook or bungee cord. If you cannot secure bins to a wall, try hooking a short bungee cord from one side to the other, as long as you remove it before collection. Collectors will not pick it up a bin if a bungee cord is attached to the lid.
To provide additional security against persistent pests like raccoons, the City provides residents with the option of purchasing a latch lock addition to your current Green Bin latch. This extra latch costs $9.00 and is available at Container pick-up locations and at local Community Environment Day events. It comes with easy to follow installation and usage instructions.
If you know you’ve had a problem with animals, rather than puttin your bin out the night before pick-up, wait until early the next morning and put it out before 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day (raccoons usually feed at night). If you store your bin in a garage or shed, make sure the doors and windows are closed.
