Canada

🇨🇦 When's garbage day? Check your address

Free email reminders the evening before collection. Garbage, recycling and organics (green bin), sorted.

How it works

Three simple steps to never miss bin day again

Check your address

Enter your address and we'll find your council's collection schedule.
Choose your reminders

Add your email address and we'll remind you the evening before collection.
Never miss bin day

Put the right bin out on time, every time — we'll mind the schedule for you.

Never Miss Garbage Day — From the Green Bin to the Bac Brun

BinMinder reminds you the night before curbside pickup, whichever cart, bin or bac your municipality wheels out.

In Canada, household waste collection is run by your municipality or by a hauler under municipal contract, and the rules change the moment you cross a city line. Toronto residents roll out a black or grey garbage bin, a blue bin for recycling and a green bin for organics, with the green bin collected weekly and garbage every other week. Vancouver mixes city crews with private haulers and puts food scraps in a green bin, while much of Quebec sorts everything into a bac brun for matières organiques, a bac bleu for recyclage and a separate collecte des ordures.

Collection frequency varies widely across the country and between services. A municipality may run organics, garbage and recycling on different weekly, alternating or zone-based calendars. Leaf and yard waste may have a separate seasonal schedule and may require kraft paper bags or clearly marked open containers rather than regular carts. Check the address-specific calendar for the dates and containers that apply to you, including any holiday changes.

Many Canadian cities bill waste through your utility or property tax account, and cart size can affect the fee where a variable-cart program applies. Municipalities set their own curbside deadlines and placement rules, then publish them by address or zone. BinMinder tracks the schedule for your address, including published holiday changes, seasonal yard-waste dates and large-item pickup windows, so you can follow the local instructions.

Garbage (ordures)

Black or grey cart (Toronto); black cart in Calgary; green-lidded garbage cart in Vancouver

Non-recyclable, non-compostable household waste. Follow the municipal calendar and any cart-size or utility-fee rules for your address.

Recycling (bac bleu)

Blue bin or blue cart; blue box in much of Ontario

Containers, paper and cardboard — some provinces run blue-box programs through producer-responsibility organizations. Accepted materials and collection cadence depend on the municipality or service zone.

Organics / Green Bin (bac brun)

Green bin (Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa); brown bac brun in Quebec

Food scraps, soiled paper and coffee grounds where accepted. Check the municipality's accepted-items list and address-specific calendar for cadence and preparation rules.

Leaf and Yard Waste

Kraft paper yard waste bags or open labelled cans; some cities issue a separate cart

Leaves, grass clippings and small branches where accepted. Seasonal dates, bags or containers, branch limits and whether these belong in the organics cart vary by municipality.

Large Item Pickup

No bin — items placed at the curb as-is

Furniture, mattresses and appliances collected on designated days or by booking; some cities require a paid tag per item, while others include a set number of free pickups per year.

Statutory-holiday arrangements vary by municipality, so check the address-specific calendar rather than assuming the date changes.
Follow the cart set-out time and placement rules in your municipality's address-specific calendar.
Downsize to save: in cities with utility-billed garbage carts, switching from a large to a medium or small cart can cut your annual waste fee, since recycling and organics carts are usually free.
In Quebec, check your municipal calendar for the collecte des encombrants. Follow its booking, accepted-item and set-out instructions; putting items out outside the published window may breach local rules.

Who actually picks up my bins in Canada?

It depends on your municipality. Cities like Toronto run their own crews, while places like Vancouver and many suburbs contract private haulers for some or all streams. Your municipal website's waste calendar — or BinMinder — reflects whichever schedule applies to your address.

What goes in the green bin versus the bac brun?

Both take food scraps and other organics — the green bin is the term in cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, while bac brun is used across Quebec for matières organiques. Accepted items differ slightly by processor: some programs take pet waste and diapers, others do not, so check your local list.

Does my collection day change after a statutory holiday?

It depends on the municipality and holiday. Check the address-specific municipal calendar rather than assuming the date changes.

Why is my city charging me based on garbage cart size?

Many municipalities bill waste collection through the utility or property tax account and charge more for larger garbage carts to reward waste reduction. Recycling and organics carts are typically included at no extra cost, so sorting well and choosing a smaller garbage cart can lower your annual bill.