The City of Toronto encourages Toronto residents and businesses to take pride in the surrounding environment and showcase a commitment to sustainability by taking part in the activities and initiatives that recognize Earth Month in April. It is also an opportunity to get outside and enjoy the city’s many vibrant public green spaces.
Register for Clean Toronto Together – pick a day and pick a spot
City staff lead a city-wide clean-up every spring and residents can join Clean Toronto Together from Friday, April 19 to Monday, April 22, Canada’s largest municipal spring cleanup program since 2004.
Co-workers, neighbourhood groups, families and individuals can host community cleanups to help remove litter from our public spaces including parks, ravines, sidewalks and beaches. Participants are asked to register their cleanups on the City’s Clean Together Toronto webpage.
There are several ways to join as a group or individual:
Last year, more than 70,000 student, community and corporate participants gave their time to help pick up litter. There were 845 community-led cleanups and help was provided at 223 different City parks. Registration helps the City arrange special litter pickups, avoid duplicate cleanups and measure results. Volunteers are reminded to come prepared by bringing their own bags and gloves.
Community Environment Days
Community Environment Days, popular in-community events that the City runs from April to September, are designed to reduce the amount of reusable or recyclable waste going to landfill and allow for safe disposal of household hazardous waste. Started in 1991, the events have successfully diverted approximately 600 tonnes of reusable items and 2,700 tonnes of hazardous waste in the last 10 years alone.
Forty-six of these in-community events will be held across Toronto starting Saturday, April 7 until Sunday, September 22. Additionally, Community Environment Days will be hosted at Drop-Off Depots on Sundays in July and August. More information and a full schedule are available on the City’s Community Environment Days webpage.
Free Compost – what goes around comes around
Residents attending Community Environment Days are invited to pick up free loose or bagged compost at select locations throughout the season. The compost is created from the yard waste and organic materials collected at the curb. Most of the finished compost comes from the City’s yard waste program, while five to 10 per cent comes from the Green Bin program.
Leave the leaves for Spring!
Residents can help keep wild bees, butterflies and moths from being thrown out in a yard waste bag this year by leaving the leaves. Fallen and decomposing leaves feed the soil, insulate tender plants and provide essential habitat for nesting and overwintering pollinators. Leaving the leaves is an easy way to create, enhance and protect pollinator habitat in natural and urbanized areas. More information on how to help pollinators is available on the City’s website.
The City’s Annual Spring Clean-up
Over a four-week period in April, the City deploys more than 200 pieces of equipment including litter vacuums, sweepers, front-end loaders and dump trucks to remove dirt, debris and graffiti from streets, bikeways, parks and watercourses. These efforts enhance road and sidewalk safety, help to improve air quality and contribute to cleaner and safer green spaces for people and animals by removing litter, garbage or debris from illegal dumping that can negatively affect waterways, aquatic life, animals, soil, plants and trees.
In 2023, the Spring Clean-up Litter Operations removed 2,604 pick-up truck loads of waste, for a total of 977 metric tonnes.
Residents and businesses can do their part to help keep Toronto clean and safe all year round by properly disposing of items in the available City street and park bins and not on the ground and report litter hot spots or overflowing bins to 311 on the City’s website or by calling 3-1-1.
Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation and climate action, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.