Preparing your garbage

Preparing your garbage

Preparing your garbage the right way will ensure your black cart materials can be safely collected.

Special preparation items

The following items require extra safety precautions for the safety of your collector and the community before going into the garbage.

Needles and medical sharps

Place needles into a puncture-resistant sealed container like a bleach bottle or sharps container.

Powders and dust

Dust and powders must be double bagged and tied closed for dust control.

Broken glass and other sharp objects

Package broken pieces by:

Putting the pieces into a sealed cardboard box; or

Wrapping in two layers of paper and place in a securely tied bag.

Street sweepings

Put gravel, dust, rocks and other debris into a garbage bag. Double-bag and make sure it is under the 20kg (45 pound) weight limit.

No oversized, overweight or unbagged garbage

  • Do not leave unbagged items outside of your black cart. 
  • If items are too big to fit inside the bin, break them down into smaller pieces and make sure the lid can close.
  • Take oversized items like furniture and mattresses to a City Eco Centre for disposal – charges will apply.
  • Carts have a 60 kg weight limit. For heavy materials like concrete, rocks, and construction materials, only fill the cart halfway. If the cart rolls easily, it should be ok. If you have large volumes of heavy material, you can take to a City Eco Centre for disposal – charges will apply.

What do to with extra garbage

Fill your black cart first. Your black cart can hold three to four standard-sized garbage bags (66 cm x 91 cm).

Store extra bags on your property until pickup day. To avoid pests, keep in a garage/shed or a separate container like a Rubbermaid bin.

For extra bags of garbage that will not fit inside the cart, you will need to buy garbage tags for pickup.

Wrap the garbage tag around the tied knot on the garbage bag.

Alternatively, ask your neighbours if they have space for extra bags in their carts.

Where to buy garbage tags

Make sure your bags are not too heavy (less than 20 kgs/45 lbs). If you can, lift with one hand.

On collection day, place tagged garbage bags 0.5m (2 ft) to the side of your black cart.

Other garbage tips

Bagging your garbage is easier to handle and keeps your black cart tidier.

Don’t jam materials inside the bin, or they won't fall out during pickup.

Put carts out only on pickup day; otherwise, keep them on your property or against the fence.

Related pages

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Preparing your other carts

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