Garbage

There is no change to curbside garbage and recycling collection.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, used paper facial tissues should be placed in plastic bags and can go in the green bin as per regular waste disposal practices.

The Trail Landfill site located at 4475 Trail Road is closed to the public.

The first Household Hazardous Waste Depot, scheduled for Sunday, April 26 at Tunney’s Pasture, has been cancelled.  

Collection information

How often is garbage collected?

• Garbage is collected every two weeks.
• Green bins are collected every week.
• Recyclables are picked up on alternating weeks (black bin one week, blue bin the next).
• Blue bins and garbage are picked up the same week.
• Leaf and yard waste is collected with your green bin.
• Check your Collection Calendar to confirm your collection schedule.
• Only non-recyclable items should be placed in the garbage.
• Not sure where an item belongs? Please check the Waste Explorer.

How many bags, items or cans can be put out? 

Residents receiving curbside collection can set out up to six items every second week on garbage day.  

When and where to put your garbage

• Put garbage at the curb any time after 6:00 p.m. the evening prior to your collection day and no later than 7:00 a.m. on your collection day.
• Place bags or cans on the ground as close as possible to the roadway, but not on the sidewalk, roadway or on top of snow banks.

How to package your garbage

• Do not put recyclables, organics or yard waste in plastic bags.
• To avoid collections issues, please do not use shopping bags or small white garbage bags when setting your garbage at the curb.
• Do not use cardboard boxes for garbage. Cardboard boxes are a recyclable item and must be placed in the black bin.
• Make sure material is packaged or contained securely in a plastic garbage bag or garbage can to avoid loose debris.
• All garbage cans, bags or boxes should not weigh more than 15 Kg (33 lb).
• Separate all broken glass from your garbage and place it in a cardboard box clearly labeled 'broken glass'. Doing otherwise can result in serious injuries to collection operators
• Sawdust, ashes and other material of similar nature go in your green bin. NO hot ashes please.
• Add leaf and yard waste to your green bin. Do not mix leaf and yard waste, recyclables and garbage together.
• All carpet should be tied and bundled. Bundles should be less than 1.2 m (4 ft.) in length, less than 60 cm (2 ft.) in diameter and less than 15 kg (33 lb.) in weight.

Acceptable metal or plastic garbage bag/container

• Maximum 125 litre capacity
• Maximum weight capacity, less than 15 kg/33lb when full
• Maximum 90cm/35" tall, 46cm/18" diameter
• Two handles and a water tight lid. Container must not have fixed lids

Do not secure lid to garbage container with bungee cord/rope.

No loose garbage inside container.

Waste collection operators will not reach into garbage cans to retrieve bags as it could cause injury.

Do not place glass or sharp objects loose in plastic bags.

Examples of acceptable containers:

Maximum 125 litre can with wheels and removable lid 

Maximum 125 litre can without wheels and removable lid

Unacceptable containers

• Cardboard boxes must not be used as a garbage container.  Cardboard boxes should be recycled or used for yard waste only. *Exception*  A cardboard box can be used to dispose of broken glass. Place broken glass in a cardboard box. Close/seal/tape the box shut and clearly mark on the outside of the box "broken glass".  Set cardboard box at the curb with your regular garbage.
• Oversized and overweight containers (+15kg/33lbs).
• Many wheeled containers  are too big and too heavy when full. Containers must be less than 125 litres with no fixed lids.

Examples of unacceptable containers:

220 litre / 50 gallon container

240 - 360 litre / 50 - 80 gallon container

For more details on approved container sizes, visit the City's Solid Waste Management by-law.  

For more details on approved container storage outside of garbage day, visit Property Standards by-law, section 12.

Disposing of bulky items

“Bulky items” that can easily be lifted into a collection vehicle such bicycles, floor lamps, mattresses, furniture, sinks, toilet bowls, barrels, pool pumps, pool covers and any other discarded materials, normally accumulated at a residential dwellings can be put out for collection on your garbage day. The total combined number of garbage containers and bulky items must not exceed six items every second week on garbage day.

• TVs, computers and other electronics
• Chemicals, paints and other household hazardous materials
• Needles, syringes and crack pipes

A lot of materials don’t have to end up in the garbage. They can be reused, recycled or donated to charitable organizations.

These include:

• Used clothing, bedding or other textiles
• Furniture
• Bicycles

Give Away Weekend is another great opportunity to help others while keeping household goods out of the landfill. There is also a number of websites dedicated to selling, buying and giving away used and/or unwanted items.

• usedottawa.com (link is external)
• Full Circles Ottawa (link is external)
• Ottawa Freecycle (link is external)
• Craigslist (link is external)
• Kijiji (link is external)

Christmas trees will be collected on the same day as the green bin. Please remove all decorations and place it at the curb no later than 7 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.  Trees will not be collected if wrapped in plastic bags or if frozen in snow banks.

The City would like to remind residents that there is NO collection of green bin, recycling and garbage on the following statutory holidays:
 

Recycling, green bin and garbage collection schedules will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week, with Saturday making up for the missed day.

For example, if your collection day falls on a Monday statutory holiday, collection would shift to Tuesday, a regular Tuesday collection day would shift to Wednesday, Wednesday to Thursday, Thursday to Friday, and Friday to Saturday.

Statutory Holiday Exceptions for 2020

There are no changes to the recycling, green bin, and garbage collection schedule for:

• Remembrance Day (Wednesday November 11, 2020) *NO collection delay during the week of November 9, 2020

The Spring Give Away Weekend will take place on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2020

Do you have some gently used items that you no longer need? Someone else may want them. Don't put your unwanted stuff in the garbage. Set them out at the curb on Give Away Weekend. Tour your neighbourhood, community and city to find hidden treasures.

Examples of acceptable items

• Books, CDs and DVDs
• Old furniture and small appliances
• Construction materials including drywall and hardware such as nails, bolts and screws
• Kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans
• Unwanted gifts

Please consider safety when deciding which items to set out to the curb. The Consumer Product Safety Bureau of Health Canada advises that used children's items such as baby walkers, yo-yo balls, cribs, car seats, strollers, playpens, bath seats, mattresses, blinds, toys and other child-related items should not be placed at the curb for Giveaway Weekend.

Rules for setting out items

• Place items at the curb
• Place stickers or signs on items with the word "FREE"
• Ensure any items you want to keep are away from your giveaway treasures or tucked away safely in your garage
• At the end of the day, bring any uncollected items back to your home

Give Away Weekend etiquette

• Respect other people's property, don't walk on people's lawns and gardens
• Take only the treasures marked free at the curb

We wish you best of luck in finding hidden treasures. It's another way to reduce our waste and protect our most precious treasure - the environment

Reminders

• Leftover items can be donated to charitable organizations.
• Visit usedottawa.com to buy, sell, and give away used items.
• Check out Full Circles Ottawa who encourage the re-use of items that are already out in society and are no longer needed in their original homes.
• Other websites to help get rid of unwanted items include Ottawa Freecycle, Craigslist and Kijiji.
• Use our Waste Explorer to determine how to get rid of items that are not allowed to be placed curbside for garbage collection.

Private Landfills 

• Waste Connections of Canada Inc (WCC) (Previously Huneault Dump)is located at 3354 Navan Road. Please contact WCC Canada Inc. directly at 613-824-7289 for information.
• Waste Management Landfill - 2301 Carp Road(Does not accept residential waste) 613-831-1281
• Tomlinson Waste Recovery Centre -106 Westhunt Dr. (Carp), 613-836-6069

Please ensure to contact the landfill directly before attending to ensure they are open, confirm their rates and materials accepted.

Facility Overview

Please note: The landfill site is closed to the public. Please visit this page regularly for updates. 

Ottawa residents and businesses can dispose of waste material at this facility. The Trail Road Waste Facility only accepts non-hazardous waste generated within the geographic boundaries of the City of Ottawa.

• Household hazardous waste is NOT accepted
• Liquid waste is NOT accepted

An environmental assessment to expand the Trail Road Waste Facility was approved in June of 2005. The expansion will provide an additional 10 to 40 years past 2008, depending on how much future waste can be successfully diverted from the landfill. Documents on the Trail Waste Facility Landfill Optimization/Expansion Project are available to the public at the Ottawa Public Library.

Location and hours of operation

Please note: The landfill site is closed to the public. Please visit this page regularly for updates.

4475 Trail Road (off Moodie Drive, south of Fallowfield Road)

Safety equipment requirements

CSA-certified green patch footwear and hi-visibility clothing is required for all persons using the Main Disposal Area or Small Load Area #2 (at the tipping face). Persons who do not have the required protective clothing will continue to have access to the Small Load Area #1. These changes are being introduced in order to ensure the safety of everyone on site. Should you have any questions, please contact the City at 3-1-1.

Landfill rates

The Trail Road Waste Facility Scale House accepts the following payment methods:

• Interac
• VISA
• AMEX
• MasterCard

All landfill fees, except for the potting soil sales, are exempt from HST. Potting soil is available for purchase while quantities last.

Brush/yard waste and recyclable materials

Potting soil

* If tipping load is less than 100 kg, a flat rate of $11.40 is charged. Otherwise the load is charged by the weight in tonnes times the rate posted.

**If tipping load is less than 100 kg, a flat rate of $5.60 is charged. Otherwise the load is charged by the weight in tonnes times the rate posted.

***If tipping load is less than 100 kg, a flat rate of $3.85. Otherwise the load is charged by the weight in tonnes times the differential rate.

PLEASE NOTE:

• We do NOT accept liquid waste in the landfill.
• We do NOT accept hazardous waste at the landfill.
• Oil tanks/drums MUST be cut in half or perforated many times. If you are not equipped to safely and properly perform this work, please contact a waste disposal company to remove the tank/drum.
• Safety requirement: Steel toe boots and high visibility vests must be worn at main tipping areas.
• Payment options: Interac, Visa, AMEX and MasterCard. Please note: Until further notice the Trail Road Waste Facility, we will not be accepting cash or personal cheques as a method of payment.