Here are the City of Markham’s rules for garbage:
- You must use clear bags for all garbage.
- We won’t pick up black, dark, tinted, coloured, or white garbage bags.
- There is no bag limit.
- You can use up to 4 privacy bags. See below for more information on privacy bags.
Markham’s garbage will be processed for energy recovery and not put in a landfill. Clean waste means clean fuel. Clear bags indicate if recyclables, organics, hazardous and electronic material is in the garbage.
Using clear bags for garbage also keeps our collectors safe from injuries. It also supports Markham’s Mandatory Separation Bylaw. Clear bags that have large amounts of recyclable material may not be collected.
Hint: Use fewer bags by emptying your household waste baskets directly into your clear garbage bag!
Put out your garbage using any of the following containers:
- Regular size clear garbage bag, under 18 kilograms
- Garbage can (0.5 metre by 0.9 metre), under 18 kilograms
- 1 group of 4 privacy bags of garbage, under 18 kilograms
You need to prepare certain items before putting them on the curb. For example:
- Carpets must be rolled up and tied with rope or string. Make sure the rolled carpet is safe to handle, with no protruding nails or staples. Carpet rolls can’t be longer than 1.2 metres in length or weigh more than 18 kilograms. You can put out up to 8 rolls.
- Wood must be bundled and tied securely with rope or tape. Each bundle must be under 1.2 metres in length and not heavier than 18 kilograms. Make sure the bundles of wood are safe to handle by removing all nails, or by hammering the nails in.
- Broken Glass must be placed in a cardboard box, sealed shut, and labelled “broken glass”. Glass sheeting (from a window pane) must be taped with masking tape and completely covered with cardboard to cover any exposed or sharp edges.
In the winter, please place your materials at the side of the end of your driveway. Please do not put your garbage on top of snow banks or behind them.