Autumn’s beautiful changing leaves make this time of year perfect for visiting the City’s parks. But it’s hard to enjoy everything Mother Nature has to offer when there’s litter everywhere. The City of Vaughan reminds you to love your local park by leaving nothing behind after visiting.

Littering has a negative impact on the quality of life of everyone in the community: it can be harmful to the environment, dangerous for pets and wildlife as they may eat or be injured by discarded items, and an eyesore for residents and visitors. Plus, it takes taxpayer dollars to clean it up.

Here are some tips for doing your part to keep Vaughan’s parks litter-free:

• Use waste bins provided by the City in public spaces. If they are full, take your garbage home with you – including pet waste.
• Keep your home and surrounding area clean of litter.
• Prevent wind-blown litter by not overfilling your blue boxes and putting heavier items on top of lighter ones on windy days or consider putting recycling out the following week.
• Consider purchasing additional City blue boxes or using a larger blue box (up to 121 litres, no lids or wheels) to ensure enough space for your recyclables.
• Put waste items where they belong – in the proper bins. Coffee cups go in the garbage along with personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves, wipes and plastic bags. Plastic water, juice and pop bottles belong in recycling.
• Take flyers and mail home to recycle.

If you see an instance of illegal dumping or littering, please report it to Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca or online at vaughan.ca/ServiceVaughan. Individuals found dumping their household waste are subject to a maximum fine of $5,000 per offence. Littering and illegal dumping are prohibited in Vaughan, including in stormwater ponds, under the Littering and Dumping By-law 103-2020 (PDF).

For more information about litter in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/litter.

Do you need help knowing what items belong in what waste bin? Check by downloading the Recycle Coach App through the Apple App Store or Google Play for information on sorting your items. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put to the curb each week. The City also offers an online sorting tool to quickly and easily check what item goes where using the search bar.

The City of Vaughan is committed to protecting and respecting our environment and fostering a sustainable community today and for future generations. That’s why Environmental Stewardship is a priority in the City’s 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.

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