Peterborough Collection-Day Helper: Garbage, Green Bin, Recycling and Holiday Changes
Enter your address first, then confirm the waste stream. Most eligible Peterborough homes receive clear-bag garbage every second week, while Green Bin and residential recycling are collected weekly. This guide also explains the current eight-bag rule, exact 2026 holiday moves, rejected bags, missed pickup, yard waste, large items and depot options.
Quick Answer: City of Peterborough Garbage Collection Schedule
For most eligible homes with six or fewer units, clear-bag garbage is collected every second week. Green Bin and residential recycling are collected every week. Set material out no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day.
Every second week
Use clear bags only and confirm that garbage is due for your address.
Every week
Put the City-issued Green Bin out weekly, even during a no-garbage week.
Every week
Sort containers separately from paper and fibre before set-out.
April–November
Weekly seasonal pickup starts in the first full week of April.
Enter the complete property address in the City’s Waste Wizard. It provides the collection day, garbage week, holiday change, printable calendar and reminder options for that address.
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City of Peterborough Garbage Collection Schedule Today
To know what should go out today, check four separate details. Green Bin and recycling may be due even when clear-bag garbage is not.
Search the exact address
Enter the street number and street name. Do not rely only on a neighbourhood, nearby address or another resident’s schedule.
Read each waste stream
Confirm garbage, Green Bin, recycling and seasonal yard waste separately. They do not all follow the same frequency.
Check holiday and delay notices
A statutory holiday may move only specific zones. Weather, road access or an operational delay can also affect service.
Check set-out compliance
Use the right bag or container, stay within weight limits, provide clearance and have everything ready by 7 a.m.
The City currently advises that its waste app is unavailable on Android. Android users can enter an address in Waste Wizard and select “Get a Reminder” for text or email alerts.
Important 2026 Updates That Override Older Peterborough Information
The live City webpages contain newer rules than some older articles and portions of the printed annual guide. Use these current rules when the sources differ.
Eight clear bags per registered unit
Eligible residential properties with six or fewer units and biweekly City collection may set out up to eight clear bags per registered unit every two weeks until December 31, 2027.
Eligible pickup fees are waived
The City has waived eligible large-item collection fees for the remainder of 2026. Every item must still be registered before curbside set-out.
If a downloaded calendar, saved article or old screenshot conflicts with the live City garbage or large-item page, follow the current live programme rule and confirm the property in Waste Wizard.
Peterborough Garbage Day: Zone and Weekday Overview
The official collection map divides regular curbside service into eight zones. The map gives a useful overview, but road boundaries can be close together. Use the full address for the final result.
City of Peterborough Garbage Collection Holiday Schedule 2026
Peterborough does not use one automatic “everything moves one day later” rule. The 2026 calendar changes specific zones on specific dates.
Family Day, Victoria Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day and Thanksgiving normally do not move the City’s regular Tuesday-to-Friday curbside routes. The landfill or depot may still be closed, so facility hours must be checked separately.
Peterborough Garbage and Recycling Calendar at a Glance
Which Peterborough Collection Rules Apply to Your Property?
The legal unit count, Green Bin eligibility and downtown location determine the garbage frequency and bag limit. Do not assume every apartment or business follows the standard residential calendar.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings
Place clear bags out between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. This is different from the regular residential 7 a.m. schedule.
Wednesday morning
Place eligible recycling out after 5 p.m. Tuesday and by 5 a.m. Wednesday. Remove uncollected material by 9 a.m.
Only registered residential units are used to calculate unit-based service and Green Bin allocation. Residents of an unregistered additional suite may need to share the cart and collection allowance assigned to the legal property.
This guide applies to the City of Peterborough. Surrounding County townships have separate calendars, contractors, bag limits and Recycle Coach results.
City of Peterborough Garbage Rules: Clear Bags, Weight and Set-Out
A bag can be placed out on the correct day and still be left behind if the outer bag is coloured, overweight, inside a garbage can, above the property limit or inaccessible.
Pass these checks
- Use a fully clear and transparent outer garbage bag.
- Keep each bag at or below 13.6 kg or 30 lb.
- Use a bag no larger than approximately 89 cm by 90 cm.
- Tie the bag securely.
- Place it directly at the curb, not inside a bin or pail.
- Stay within the limit for the property type.
Avoid these mistakes
- Black, white, blue, green, tinted or coloured outer bags.
- Garbage bags hidden inside a cart, can or container.
- A bag heavier than 30 lb.
- Bags placed behind, on top of or inside a snowbank.
- Construction debris, liquid paint, batteries or hazardous waste.
- Extra bags above the address’s current allowance.
Up to three inside each clear bag
Each clear outer bag may contain up to three smaller opaque privacy bags of approximately 25 litres or 22 by 22 inches.
Use a cleared, level location
Use the driveway edge or a cleared boulevard. Do not block a sidewalk or place material where staff must climb a snowbank.
Remove material after 8 p.m.
If material remains after 8 p.m., remove it from the curb and check for a rejection tag or missed-service issue.
Construction and renovation debris, liquid paint, hazardous chemicals, batteries, propane cylinders, tires and automotive parts need a landfill, depot or special recycling route.
Why Was My Peterborough Garbage Rejected?
A clear photo preserves the reason code and makes it easier to explain the issue when contacting the City. Correct the tagged problem before the next set-out.
Weekly Green Bin Collection in Peterborough
Eligible homes receive weekly collection in a City-issued 100-litre cart. Put the Green Bin out every week, including weeks when clear-bag garbage is not due.
Food and food-soiled paper
- Fruit, vegetables, peels, pits and cores.
- Meat, fish, shellfish, poultry and bones.
- Dairy, bread, rice, pasta, grains and baked goods.
- Coffee grounds, filters and tea bags.
- Food-soiled paper towels, napkins and tissues.
- Pet waste and kitty litter without ordinary plastic bags.
- Cold dampened wood ash in an accepted compostable bag.
Frequent contamination
- Ordinary plastic grocery or garbage bags.
- Oxo-degradable bags without accepted certification.
- Food packaging, coffee pods and baby wipes.
- Diapers, dryer sheets, foil and wax paper.
- Yard waste, leaves or brush.
- Pet waste wrapped inside ordinary plastic.
Leave 0.6 m or 2 ft
Keep the Green Bin away from blue boxes, bags, vehicles, poles and yard-waste containers.
Arrows face the street
Point the lid arrows toward the street and the handle toward the house.
It may remain locked
The mechanical collection system can empty the cart with its lock in the vertical locked position.
Wrap wet scraps in newspaper, freeze especially odorous food until collection day, line the bottom with paper or cardboard and put the cart out weekly even when it is not full.
The cart serial number is registered to the property. For a missing, damaged or new-build cart, contact the City rather than taking a cart from another address.
City of Peterborough Garbage and Recycling Rules
Residential recycling is collected weekly, but it must be divided into a container stream and a paper-and-fibre stream. Recycling service questions use a different contact from garbage, Green Bin and yard waste.
Keep accepted containers loose
Use one blue box for eligible glass, metal, plastic containers, cartons, foam packaging, tubes and empty aerosol containers. Bagged ordinary containers may be left behind.
Use a separate blue box
Use another box for paper, boxboard and flattened cardboard. Secure loose cardboard and place lightweight paper lower in the box.
Maximum 22 kg or 50 lb
Keep each filled blue box within the weight limit and use an accepted standard box size.
Between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Set boxes out after 6 p.m. the evening before or by 7 a.m. on collection day.
390 Pido Road
The Material Recycling Facility has a public drop-off for eligible sorted recyclables.
Batteries can ignite collection trucks and sorting equipment. Take batteries to an approved battery drop-off or the Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Depot.
Contact Emterra at 1-888-597-1541. If a recycling service problem remains unresolved, Circular Materials provides a separate escalation route.
Peterborough Yard-Waste Collection Calendar and Rules
Yard waste is collected weekly from the first full week of April through the end of November. There is no set quantity limit when every bag, container and brush bundle is prepared correctly.
Paper bags or labelled open containers
Use brown paper yard-waste bags, bushel baskets or rigid open-top containers no larger than 80 litres with two fixed handles and two yellow labels.
Stay within all three limits
Tie brush with light rope or twine. Each bundle must be under 13 kg, no longer than 1 m and no wider than 30 cm.
Keep these out
No plastic bags, blue boxes, soil, stones, stumps, large amounts of sod, oversized brush, broken containers or pet waste.
Wet leaves can freeze to a reusable container during October and November. Paper yard-waste bags usually empty more reliably in freezing weather.
Reusable yard-waste container labels are available from City Hall at 500 George Street North. Attach two labels where collection staff can see them.
Missed City of Peterborough Garbage Pickup
Truck arrival time can change from week to week. Wait until the route has had a reasonable opportunity to finish, then check the schedule, preparation and any tag before reporting a missed collection.
Check the curbside facts
- Was this the correct address-specific collection day?
- Was clear-bag garbage due this week?
- Was the material out by 7 a.m.?
- Was the bag, cart or box prepared correctly?
- Could staff reach it without crossing a snowbank or obstruction?
- Was a rejection or contamination tag left?
Match the missed material
- Garbage, Green Bin or yard waste: City service request.
- Weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: 705-742-7777, dial 8.
- After hours, weekends or holidays: 705-745-1386.
- Residential recycling: Emterra at 1-888-597-1541.
Remove the material from the curb. Photograph any rejection tag, correct the issue and submit the report through the appropriate service channel.
Large-Item Pickup in Peterborough: 2026 Dates and Rules
An eligible large household item generally weighs more than 13.6 kg or is longer than 1 m. Pickup is monthly from April through September. Eligible service is free for the remainder of 2026, but advance registration remains mandatory.
Common household items
Furniture, couches, chairs, tables, mattresses, box springs, rolled rugs, bicycles, washing machines, dryers and many household appliances.
Certification is required
Air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers and dehumidifiers require proof that a licensed technician removed the refrigerant.
Use another disposal route
Electronics, propane tanks, tires, construction material, windows, mirrors, roofing, hot tubs, pianos and hazardous products are excluded.
Published 2026 booking dates
After 7 p.m. and by 7 a.m.
Follow the booking instructions. Items may be placed out after 7 p.m. the previous evening and must be ready by 7 a.m.
Leave a registered item in place
Collection begins Monday and may take several days. Do not remove a registered item simply because it was not collected on Monday.
A mattress or box spring affected by bedbugs must be sealed in a clear plastic bag. Tape accepted glass items corner-to-corner in an X pattern. Follow every preparation instruction supplied with the booking confirmation.
Do not leave furniture, mattresses or appliances beside a park bin, trail, lane, boulevard or other public space.
Diaper and Medical-Waste Collection Exemptions
Two or more children under age three
A qualifying household may apply to set out up to two additional clear bags during the off-week. Each bag must stay within the 30 lb limit. Approval may run for up to 24 months.
Contact Waste Management
For diaper or incontinence waste related to a medical condition, contact the City at 705-742-7777 extension 1891 for eligibility and application instructions.
The exemption has household, bag, weight and approval-period conditions. Extra off-week bags should not be placed out until the City confirms eligibility.
Where to Take Paint, Batteries, Electronics and Renovation Waste
Items that are unsafe or prohibited in a clear bag often have a free depot, recycling drop-off or landfill route.
400 Pido Road
Regular hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Accepted examples include paint, fuel, oil, batteries, chemicals, propane cylinders, approved sharps containers, medications, fluorescent tubes and electronics.
390 Pido Road
The Material Recycling Facility public drop-off is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for accepted sorted recyclable material.
1260 Bensfort Road
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–3:45 p.m.; closed Sunday and statutory holidays.
Pack the vehicle safely
- Never mix chemicals together.
- Keep products in original or clearly labelled containers.
- Seal containers and secure them upright.
- Use an approved sealed sharps container.
Avoid delay and penalties
- Sort recyclables and special materials before arrival.
- Tarp and secure every open load.
- Bring cash, debit, Visa or Mastercard; no cheques.
- Always weigh out before leaving the site.
The City’s fee table may retain an earlier year label while hours and operational notices are updated separately. Check the live landfill page before loading the vehicle rather than relying on an old price.
The hazardous depot has special closures and reduced hours around statutory holidays, including reduced hours on December 24 and December 31. The landfill closes on Sundays and statutory holidays and closes early on December 24 and December 31.
Peterborough Reusable Exchange Weekends 2026
Reusable Exchange Weekends allow residents to offer safe, usable household items to neighbours rather than sending them to the landfill.
May 8–10
Place safe reusable items out Friday evening and retrieve anything unclaimed Sunday evening.
June 12–14
Clearly mark items as free and keep them off sidewalks, roads and cycling paths.
July 10–12
Do not offer unsafe, broken, recalled or contaminated items.
August 14–16
Unclaimed electronics belong at an approved electronics drop-off.
September 11–13
Do not leave unwanted furniture permanently at the curb after the exchange ends.
Bring leftovers back in
Unclaimed items remain the resident’s responsibility and are not automatically collected as garbage.
Public Bins and Illegal Dumping: What Not to Do
Public litter bins are for small on-the-go waste. Household garbage, furniture, mattresses, appliances, renovation debris and yard waste must use the proper residential or facility route.
Household material in public spaces
- Garbage bags beside a park bin.
- Furniture or mattresses on a boulevard.
- Appliances in a lane or trail parking area.
- Renovation material on the roadside.
- Yard waste in parks or natural areas.
Record information safely
- Exact location and nearby landmark.
- Date and approximate time observed.
- Description of the dumped material.
- Photos only when safe to take.
- Vehicle or licence plate only when safely observed.
Where Does This Item Go?
Use the closest match below, then search Waste Wizard when an item contains mixed materials, batteries, chemicals or an unusual component.
Green Bin
Remove packaging and use an accepted paper or certified compostable liner.
Recycling
Separate containers from paper and fibre according to the current guide.
Clear garbage bag
Use a tied clear outer bag under 30 lb and within the address’s limit.
Yard waste
Use paper bags, labelled containers or compliant tied bundles.
Book or deliver
Check large-item eligibility and register before placing anything outside.
Hazardous depot
Never put flammable, toxic or corrosive material in garbage or recycling.
New Resident and Moving-Day Checklist
Set up the address correctly
- Confirm that the property is inside the City, not a County township.
- Enter the address in Waste Wizard.
- Save the weekday and next garbage date.
- Locate the property’s City-issued Green Bin.
- Obtain suitable blue boxes and clear garbage bags.
- Turn on text or email reminders.
Avoid an uncollectable curb pile
- Leave the registered Green Bin at the property.
- Register every eligible large item.
- Take electronics and hazardous products to Pido Road.
- Take renovation debris to an approved facility.
- Use Reusable Exchange or donation options for usable items.
- Remove uncollected material from the curb.
City of Peterborough Garbage Collection FAQ
How do I find my City of Peterborough garbage day?
Enter the complete property address in the City’s Waste Wizard. It shows the regular weekday, whether clear-bag garbage is due, holiday changes, service notices and reminder options.
Is garbage collected every week in Peterborough?
Most eligible homes with six or fewer units receive clear-bag garbage collection every second week. Green Bin and residential recycling are collected weekly. Some larger multi-residential and downtown properties have different schedules.
How many clear garbage bags can I put out in 2026?
Eligible residential properties with six or fewer units and biweekly collection may set out up to eight clear bags per registered unit every two weeks until December 31, 2027. Properties receiving weekly City garbage may set out up to three clear bags per registered unit each week.
Can I use black garbage bags or a garbage can?
No. Regular curbside garbage must be placed in fully clear transparent outer bags directly at the curb. Coloured outer bags and garbage bags placed inside cans, pails or carts are not accepted.
What is the Peterborough holiday garbage schedule for 2026?
The replacement date depends on the holiday and zone. The 2026 calendar changes selected routes for New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day. Check the address in Waste Wizard before each holiday.
What time must Peterborough garbage be at the curb?
Place regular residential material out no earlier than 6 p.m. the previous evening and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. Downtown DBIA properties have separate evening garbage and early-morning recycling windows.
Who do I contact for a missed pickup?
For missed garbage, Green Bin or yard waste, use the City service portal or call 705-742-7777 and dial 8 during weekday business hours. After hours call 705-745-1386. For missed residential recycling, call Emterra at 1-888-597-1541.
Is large-item pickup free in Peterborough in 2026?
Yes. Eligible large-item pickup fees are waived for the remainder of 2026. Advance registration and all item-preparation requirements still apply.
Where do paint, batteries and electronics go?
Take accepted paint, batteries, electronics and household hazardous products to the Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Depot at 400 Pido Road. Regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with holiday changes.
What if I live in Peterborough County rather than the City?
Do not use the City calendar automatically. Peterborough County townships have separate collection schedules, contractors, bag limits and recycling information. Confirm the municipality attached to the property address.
Your Peterborough Collection-Day Routine
Enter the address, read each waste stream, check the holiday notice and prepare everything before 7 a.m. Use clear bags for garbage, the City cart for organics, correctly sorted blue boxes for recycling and an approved booking for every large item.