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Clear Bag Garbage

Collection 

clear bag

Clear bag garbage is collected every other week on your regular collection day. 
Place your clear bags at the curb by 7 AM on your collection day or after 7 PM the night before. 

Collection times can change without notice so don’t miss the truck!

Follow your Collection Schedule.

 

 

Clear Bag Garbage Guidelines

Curbside Collection Health and Safety Reminders

  • To ensure the safety of our collection crews and material processors, please follow these steps when taking material to the curb:
  • Respect physical distancing. Please do not approach the collector or the vehicle.
  • Tie up all garbage and green bin bags. Loose material will NOT be collected.
  • Masks, gloves, tissues, wipes, and COVID-19 Rapid Tests must be bagged as garbage. For everyone’s safety, do not put these items in your blue box.
  • Wash all your containers regularly with soap and water. Always wash your hands before and after handling waste and waste containers.

Reminder:

Do not flush any wipes down the toilet. Putting wipes down household drains can block plumbing systems and cause sewer backups. Learn more about Protecting Markham's Drinking Water. 

Guidelines to follow:

  • Clear bags only. No black, dark, tinted, coloured, or white garbage bags.
    • Use regular size clear garbage bag, keep under 18 kilograms. There is no bag limit.
    • Small privacy bags for personal garbage items, 4 bags per collection.  Place inside your clear garbage bag or garbage can
  • Garbage cans - clear bags can be placed inside a garbage can (0.5 metre by 0.9 metre), keep under 18 kilograms. Loose material will be left behind. 
     

Broken glass - sharp-edged items like glass, mirrors must be properly sealed, covered with cardboard or placed inside a cardboard box and labelled "broken glass". 

Bulky items – large items like broken furniture, mattresses are collected on the same day as your clear bag garbage day. Maximum of three items per collection. A special collection appointment is not needed. Items in good working condition should be donated for reuse! 

Learn more about bulky item collection.

In the winter, please place your materials at the right side of the end of your driveway. Please do not put your garbage on top of snow banks or behind them.

Why Clear 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!

Unaccepted Material 

Think before you throw and keep these things out of landfill:

  • Green bin or blue box material
  • Electronics and household batteries
  • Hazardous material like motor oil, paint, propane tanks
  • Metal items like microwaves, frying pans 
  • Dead wildlife or birds 
  • Grass clippings – not accepted at the curb, leave it on the lawn. 
  • Renovation or construction material like drywall, tiles, concrete
Garbage Drop-off

Residents can drop off household garbage at the Earl Turcott Waste Management Facility. Fees apply.

What Happens to My Garbage?

The Region of York processes Markham's garbage. Find out what happens to your garbage once it leaves your curb.