How to park your vehicle on pickup day
Garbage trucks need lots of space to collect your carts safely and stay on schedule on collection day. Ensure your carts can be safely collected by following these parking guidelines.
Spacing around vehicles
Do
Make sure there’s at least 1 metre (3 ft.) of space between any vehicle and the closest cart.
TIP: If you are in a busy traffic area, place your carts in front of or closer to your driveway to prevent any parked vehicle from blocking access to your cart(s).
Cul-de-sac parking
Do
All vehicles must be parallel parked with passenger side wheels to the curb.
Don't
Angle parking is not allowed in a cul-de-sac unless signage permits it.
Why? This helps collection trucks to reach your carts for pickup and provides enough clearance to safely turn around in the cul-de-sac.
Parking near alley entrance
Do
Keep entrances to alleyways clear. Park your car at least 5 metres (16 ft) away from an alley entrance.
Why? Garbage trucks require a wide turning radius due to their large size. They need enough room to enter and exit the alley.
Passing room in alley
Do
Leave at least 3 metres (10 ft) of clearance in alleyways for passing. This applies to parked vehicles, carts, and other property stored in the back alley.
Why? Emergency vehicles and collection trucks need to be able to get through any alley and have room to turn around if needed.
Parking at end of alley
Do
Keep vehicles and private property away from the end of a closed alley or within a turnaround area.
Why? The designated turnaround areas were designed for large vehicles like garbage trucks to turn around safely. They are not intended for parking or storage of private property.
How to place your cart during snow route parking ban and spring street cleaning
Snow route parking ban
During a snow route parking ban, place your bins on the sidewalk or grass boulevard next to the curb. If your cart is picked up from a back lane, put it in the same place as normal.
- Leave at least one metre between the cart and nearby objects such as parked cars.
- Don’t place carts behind or on top of snow banks.
- Clear snow off your blue cart lid and keep the lid closed so that paper and other recyclables stay dry.
Spring street cleaning
During spring street cleaning in your community, place your cart on the end of your driveway or grass boulevard next to the curb on the day your street is scheduled for cleaning.
- If your cart is picked up from a back lane, put it in the same place as normal.
- Make sure to leave at least one metre between the cart and surrounding objects.