Vancouver Garbage Day: Find Today’s Pickup, Your Next Date, Map Zone and Correct Service Provider
Enter your civic address in the City schedule to find the exact garbage, Green Bin and recycling dates. Then use this guide to read the 2026–27 map, prepare carts correctly, report a missed collection, handle extra garbage, choose a depot and avoid mixing up Vancouver with North Vancouver, West Vancouver or Vancouver, Washington.
Quick Answer: When Is My Garbage Day in Vancouver?
There is no single citywide weekday that answers every Vancouver address. Search your exact property in the official collection tool, open the next date and confirm whether it is garbage, Green Bin or recycling.
Search the full address
Use the street number and street name. Confirm the selected property before saving or printing the result.
Confirm the stream
Do not stop after finding the weekday. Check whether garbage, Green Bin, recycling or multiple streams are due.
Prepare by 7 a.m.
Close cart lids, point arrows toward the lane or street and leave sufficient clearance around and above the carts.
Address finds the date. The calendar symbol identifies the stream. The service provider determines where a missed-pickup report goes.
Garbage Day Vancouver Today: How to Check Before Setting Bins Out
A static webpage cannot tell every address whether garbage is collected today. The reliable answer comes from the City’s personalized calendar and any current service information shown there.
📅 Which Week Am I On? — Garbage or Recycling?
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City not in our database yet
We don't have a reference date for this city. To find your biweekly schedule, use one of these options:
Once you have the date of your last garbage week, enter it in the date field above and click Check.
Next pickup date
Based on your collection day
🔑 Bookmark this page to check your schedule every 2 weeks
Open the official City schedule
Enter your complete civic address and select the correct property from the result.
Open today or the next listed date
Check whether it says garbage, Green Bin, recycling or more than one service.
Check for a holiday or route change
Statutory holidays can change the date. VanCollect reminders are safer than relying on the usual weekday.
Make the carts pickup-ready
Have eligible material out by 7 a.m., with lids closed, correct spacing and no prohibited items.
How to find your next garbage day in Vancouver
- Search the address rather than guessing from a neighbourhood name.
- Look for the next circled garbage date in the PDF or the next garbage entry online.
- Save the date to an online calendar or activate a VanCollect reminder.
- Check whether recycling is handled by GFL or a building contractor.
- Review the cart setup before collection morning.
Vancouver Garbage Day Schedule: Address Lookup and VanCollect Steps
The City stopped mailing annual calendars citywide beginning in spring 2026. Digital lookup, reminders and personalized printouts are now the most dependable options.
What the address result can provide
- Upcoming garbage dates
- Upcoming Green Bin dates
- Recycle BC schedule information
- Email or phone reminders
- Calendar import
- Customized printable calendar
Useful app functions
- View upcoming collection dates
- Receive weekly reminders
- Search sorting instructions
- Manage garbage and Green Bin carts
- Report missing or damaged City carts
How to print a personalized calendar
Search the address
Enter the property in the City calendar and confirm the correct result.
Select “Get a calendar”
Open the calendar options attached to the address result.
Select “Print a calendar”
Use the customized version rather than manually interpreting a map boundary.
Where can I pick up a limited paper calendar?
City Hall: Main-floor rotunda, 453 West 12th Avenue. Published hours are 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday except holidays.
Engineering Services: Fifth floor, 507 West Broadway. Published hours are 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday except holidays.
The City also lists selected community centres. Availability can run out, so a customized printout remains the safer option.
Garbage Day Vancouver Today Map: How to Read the 2026–27 PDF
The official PDF covers April 2026 through May 2027 and contains separate North and South map pages. Its colours show collection zones; circles identify garbage weeks.
Follow orange dates on the correct map page.
Follow blue dates for the mapped address zone.
Follow green dates, not a nearby street’s colour.
Use yellow calendar dates for that zone.
Follow purple dates on the North or South page.
Garbage and Green Bin
When your colour-coded date has a circle, set out both the garbage cart and Green Bin.
Green Bin only
When your colour-coded date is not circled, set out only the Green Bin.
Boundaries follow individual streets and corridors. Search the address first, especially near Broadway, Boundary Road, Kingsway, Cambie Street, Commercial Drive and other map divisions.
Load the official North or South PDF map
The preview is loaded only after you select a map, helping the article remain fast on first view.
Other details hidden inside the official PDF
Extra leaf collection
Set eligible leaves out by 7 a.m. on the Saturday marked with the leaf symbol for your calendar.
No collection holiday
Black calendar dates identify statutory holidays with no regular collection. Follow the adjusted colour pattern shown around them.
Tree and leaf collection
Set out Christmas trees and extra leaves by 7 a.m. on Monday, January 11, 2027. Collection continues through January and is scheduled for completion by January 31.
The current PDF shows Green Bin collection every second week during January and February 2027, on the same day as garbage. This does not change weekly Green Bin service during 2026.
What Goes Out This Week: Garbage, Green Bin or Recycling?
The collection date is only half the answer. The three streams have different frequencies, preparation rules and service contacts.
| Stream | Typical pattern | Collector | Resident check |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚫ Garbage | Every second week for regular City cart service | City of Vancouver | Circled date, closed lid, acceptable contents and correct cart weight |
| 🟢 Green Bin | Weekly during 2026 for eligible City-serviced properties | City of Vancouver | Food scraps and accepted yard material, no plastic contamination |
| ♻️ House or duplex recycling | Follow the address-based Recycle BC schedule | GFL Environmental | Correct blue box, grey box, yellow bag and preparation |
| 🏢 Apartment or condo recycling | Building and contractor schedule | Recycling Alternative or Emterra | Building area, recycling room, wheeled carts and pink flexible-plastics cart |
Use City reporting for garbage and Green Bin issues. Use the applicable Recycle BC contractor for recycling schedules, missed recycling and container supplies.
Vancouver Bin Set-Out Rules That Prevent Missed Collection
A correct date does not guarantee pickup. Carts may be left behind when they are late, blocked, overflowing, incorrectly oriented or filled with prohibited material.
Place all eligible carts, boxes and bags out before collection starts.
Leave at least 1 m or 3 ft around garbage and Green Bin carts.
Maintain approximately 3.5 m or 11.5 ft of overhead clearance.
Point the lid arrows toward the centre of the lane or street.
Collection-morning checklist
- Close every cart lid fully.
- Place recycling about 1 metre from City carts.
- Move carts away from parked vehicles and utility poles.
- Trim branches or vegetation blocking mechanical access.
- Remove storage straps or bungee cords.
- Bring emptied carts back onto the property.
Why a cart may remain full
- Cart was placed out after the truck passed.
- Lid could not close because the cart overflowed.
- Arrows faced away from the collection lane.
- A vehicle, wall, hedge or construction material blocked access.
- The cart was overweight.
- Contents included a prohibited or incorrectly sorted item.
Missed Garbage, Green Bin or Recycling Pickup in Vancouver
Wait until the route has had time to finish, check for a rejection tag and confirm that you are reporting to the correct collector.
Confirm the address schedule
Check that the material was placed out on the correct date and for the correct collection stream.
Look for a tag or decal
A tag may explain an overflowing lid, prohibited item, contamination, weight or access problem.
Allow the route to finish
City crews may work in some areas until 8 p.m. Traffic, weather, construction and equipment issues can delay collection.
Use the correct reporting path
Report garbage or Green Bin through the City. Report recycling through GFL or the apartment contractor.
Garbage or Green Bin
Use the City missed-collection form after ruling out a holiday, late set-out, tag, blocked cart or unfinished route.
GFL Environmental
Phone: 604-282-7966
Email: srrecycle@gflenv.com
Recycling Alternative
Phone: 778-371-1467
Email: multifamily@recyclingalternative.com
Emterra Environmental
Phone: 778-371-1468
Email: vancouver.recycling@emterra.ca
Remove the problem item, reduce the weight, close the lid or correct the placement. Set accepted material out on the next eligible date unless the City gives another instruction.
What to include in a missed-pickup report
- Complete civic address
- Garbage, Green Bin or recycling stream
- Scheduled collection date
- Time the material was placed out
- Whether a tag was attached
- Whether neighbouring properties were collected
- Any vehicle, construction, weather or access issue
Extra Garbage Stickers, Bag Limits and Vancouver Cart Rates
An unlabelled bag beside the garbage cart will not be collected. Each eligible extra bag needs a City sticker facing the street or lane.
$20 for five stickers
Stickers are sold as one strip of five, are not sold individually and are not subject to tax.
Up to 66 × 91 cm
Use a securely tied standard garbage bag—not a shopping bag.
20 kg per bag
Attach one sticker to every bag and turn it toward the collection crew.
Where extra garbage stickers are sold
- City Hall, main-floor Revenue Services
- Safeway customer-service counters within the City of Vancouver
- Most Vancouver Park Board community centres and indoor pools
- Published exclusions include Carnegie, Coal Harbour, Evelyne Saller and Gathering Place
2026 garbage cart sizes and annual rates
| Cart size | Suggested household | Maximum weight | 2026 annual rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 L | Up to 2 people | 30 kg | $117 |
| 120 L | 2–3 people | 50 kg | $134 |
| 180 L | 3–4 people | 75 kg | $157 |
| 240 L | 4–6 people | 100 kg | $179 |
| 360 L | 6 or more people | 150 kg | $224 |
Who can change service?
Only the property owner or an authorized person can order extra carts, change sizes, remove carts, start City service or cancel it.
What can a tenant request?
A tenant may report damage or request a same-size replacement for a missing cart. The City lists a $25 fee for cart-size changes and certain service changes.
Food scraps, recyclable packaging, batteries, electronics, paint, foam and depot materials should not be filling the garbage cart.
Vancouver Green Bin Schedule and Rejection Prevention
Green Bins are serviced weekly during 2026 for houses, duplexes and some City-serviced multi-unit buildings. Put the cart out on every scheduled date, even when it is not full.
Food and accepted organic material
- Food scraps and table leftovers
- Meat, fish, bones and dairy
- Food-soiled paper
- Leaves and accepted yard trimmings
- Dry grass clippings and dead plants
Frequent contamination
- Plastic or compostable-plastic bags
- Recyclable packaging
- Regular garbage
- Pet waste
- Soil, rocks and oversized wood
- Material preventing the lid from closing
Green Bin weight limits and 2026 annual rates
| Green Bin size | Maximum gross weight | 2026 annual rate | Resident check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 L | 50 kg | $189 | Reduce wet yard material if the cart becomes difficult to move. |
| 180 L | 75 kg | $221 | Alternate wet scraps with dry leaves or paper. |
| 240 L | 100 kg | $254 | Do not compact wet grass, soil or dense garden material. |
| 360 L | 150 kg | $320 | A cart that cannot be moved safely may be overweight. |
Rain, odour and pest checklist
- Store the cart in a shaded, ventilated area.
- Line the bottom with newspaper, cardboard or dry yard material.
- Wrap or freeze meat and fish scraps until collection morning.
- Keep the lid closed between uses.
- Rinse the cart with mild detergent or vinegar water.
- Pour wash water onto grass or gravel, not an outdoor drain.
- Remove wildlife restraints before the crew arrives.
The official calendar changes Green Bin service to every second week during those two months, on the same day as garbage.
Vancouver Recycling Schedule: Choose the Correct Recycle BC Provider
Recycling is not collected by the City. Houses and duplexes use GFL, while Vancouver apartment and condo recycling changed to two contractors on February 16, 2026.
GFL Environmental
Use GFL for curbside recycling schedules, missed collection and blue-box programme questions.
Recycling Alternative
This contractor serves Recycle BC’s apartment and condo collection area 1.
Emterra Environmental
This contractor serves Recycle BC’s apartment and condo collection area 2.
Apartment flexible-plastics change
Participating Vancouver apartments and condos can now collect accepted flexible plastics in a dedicated pink cart. Continue using the building’s other containers for paper, cardboard, glass and mixed packaging.
Common flexible plastics
- Plastic bags and overwrap
- Stand-up and zipper-lock pouches
- Crinkly wrappers
- Plastic net bags
- Protective flexible packaging
No pink cart in your building?
Ask the property manager or strata whether the building participates in Recycle BC’s multi-family programme and which contractor serves the address.
Flexible plastics and foam packaging are generally depot materials for curbside homes. Use the Recycle BC depot finder or Vancouver Zero Waste Centre.
Do Vancouver Apartments and Condos Follow the Same Garbage Day?
Not always. Shared-bin buildings may use City service, private garbage service, City organics or building-specific recycling contractors.
Follow building access rules
Check where garbage belongs, when the room is accessible and whether residents may place large items there.
Confirm the Green Bin system
Ask whether the property has City Green Bin service or a private organics contract.
Identify the contractor
Use the Recycle BC map or building notice to determine whether Recycling Alternative or Emterra serves the property.
Tell management first
Property managers or strata representatives may be the only people authorized to report a building service problem.
Book disposal before moving day
Do not leave mattresses, furniture or bags beside shared bins without written building instructions.
City calendars may not apply
A private-hauler schedule can differ from the City single-family route even at a Vancouver address.
Where to Take Batteries, Electronics, Mattresses and Oversized Waste
An extra-garbage sticker does not make hazardous, recyclable or depot-only material acceptable. Search the item before loading a vehicle.
Vancouver Zero Waste Centre
Address: 8588 Yukon Street. This residential facility accepts many recyclable and stewardship materials free of charge.
Vancouver South Transfer Station
Address: 377 West Kent Avenue North. Use it for garbage, oversized items and selected fee-based materials.
Vancouver Landfill in Delta
Use the landfill for eligible loads and its residential recycling depot. Verify rates, limits and accepted material before travelling.
Zero Waste Centre hours and preparation
Published regular hours
- Monday–Saturday: 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Christmas Day and New Year’s Day: closed
- Other statutory holidays: normally 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Common free-recycling examples
- Batteries and cellphones
- Electronics and small appliances
- Flexible plastics and foam packaging
- Clothing and textiles
- Cardboard and glass packaging
- Propane tanks and fire extinguishers within limits
Transfer Station trip rules
- Enter from the east; left turns are not permitted for vehicles arriving from the west.
- Monday–Friday hours are 5:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday hours are 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are closed.
- Sort free recyclables separately from paid garbage.
- Check fees and volume limits before taking mattresses, drywall, yard material or clean wood.
If bringing both paid material and free recyclables, load free recyclables first and paid material last. This allows paid material to be removed at the Transfer Station before visiting the Zero Waste Centre.
Mattress and box-spring rules
- Take mattresses, futons and box springs to the Transfer Station or landfill for a fee.
- The published daily limit is four items per customer.
- For more than four, arrange a private mattress-recycling company.
- Wrap, seal and label a bedbug-affected mattress before transport.
- Never leave a mattress in an alley or beside a shared bin.
Garbage Day North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Vancouver WA
These searches refer to separate governments and collection systems. A City of Vancouver, BC calendar is not valid for a North Shore or Washington address.
| Location | Schedule tool | Basic collection pattern | Important difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Vancouver, BC | VanCollect / City address lookup | Garbage every second week; Green Bin weekly during 2026 | City carts by 7 a.m.; Recycle BC handles recycling |
| City of North Vancouver | CityCollect | Garbage every other week; Green Can and recycling weekly | Set out between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m., not the night before |
| District of North Vancouver | District address lookup / DNVCollect | Address-specific District routes | Do not apply City of North Vancouver cart or zone rules |
| West Vancouver | WestVanCollect | Garbage every other week; Green Can and recycling weekly | Set out after 5 a.m.; collection begins at 7:30 a.m. |
| Vancouver, Washington | Waste Connections of Washington | Customer-service plan and address schedule | United States system; City of Vancouver BC rules do not apply |
Confirm whether the property is in the City of North Vancouver or District of North Vancouver before choosing CityCollect, DNVCollect, set-out timing or missed-pickup contacts.
Vancouver Garbage-Day Decision Helper
Choose the municipality and problem. The result identifies the correct service path without pretending to calculate a live address date.
The official address calendar, municipality, Recycle BC contractor, strata or private hauler provides the final collection date and service decision.
Official Vancouver Waste Resources and When to Use Them
Open the page matching the task. The main rules are explained above so residents do not need to search several municipal pages before understanding the next step.
Collection Schedule
Use for address dates, reminder setup, calendar import and personalized printing.
Open official schedule2026–27 PDF Calendar
Use for North/South maps, colour zones, garbage circles, holiday symbols and seasonal notes.
Open official PDFSet-Out Instructions
Use for 7 a.m. timing, cart arrows, one-metre spacing and overhead clearance.
Open set-out rulesMissed City Collection
Use after checking the date, tag, route completion, access, weather and holiday.
Open missed-pickup formGarbage Cart Service
Use for cart sizes, 2026 rates, owner authorization and missing or damaged carts.
Open cart-service pageRecycle BC Vancouver
Use for recycling schedules, contractor contacts, boxes, bags and apartment service.
Open recycling informationWaste Wizard
Use before placing batteries, electronics, foam, paint, propane or unfamiliar material in a cart.
Search an itemDisposal Facilities
Use for Zero Waste Centre, Transfer Station, landfill, mattresses, drywall and oversized loads.
Compare facilitiesVancouver Garbage Day FAQ
How do I find my garbage day in Vancouver?
Enter your complete civic address in the City of Vancouver collection-schedule tool or VanCollect app. Confirm the next date and whether the entry is for garbage, Green Bin or recycling.
How do I check garbage day Vancouver today?
Search your address in the official calendar and open today’s entry. If no garbage entry appears, check whether only Green Bin or recycling is due and whether a statutory holiday changed the route.
How do I use the Vancouver garbage-day map?
Choose the North or South map in the 2026–27 PDF, identify the address’s colour zone and follow dates in that colour. A circled date means garbage and Green Bin; an uncircled date means Green Bin only. Verify the result by address.
Is Vancouver garbage collected every week?
Regular City garbage is normally collected every second week. Green Bin service is weekly during 2026 for eligible properties. Recycling follows the applicable Recycle BC schedule.
What time must Vancouver bins be out?
Bins must be ready by 7 a.m. Close the lids, point arrows toward the lane or street, leave one metre around City carts and maintain approximately 3.5 metres of overhead clearance.
What should I do when Vancouver garbage was not picked up?
Check the date, holiday, set-out time, cart tag, lid, spacing, weight and access. City crews can work until 8 p.m. Report a true garbage or Green Bin miss to the City; report recycling to the applicable Recycle BC contractor.
Can I leave an extra garbage bag beside the cart?
Only with a City extra-garbage sticker. Use a securely tied standard bag no larger than 66 by 91 centimetres and no heavier than 20 kilograms, with the sticker visible from the lane or street.
Does North Vancouver use the City of Vancouver calendar?
No. The City of North Vancouver uses CityCollect, while the District of North Vancouver uses its own address lookup and DNVCollect. Confirm the municipality before using a schedule.
Does West Vancouver use this garbage-day schedule?
No. West Vancouver uses WestVanCollect. Garbage is every other week, Green Can and recycling are weekly, and material is set out after 5 a.m. before collection begins at 7:30 a.m.
Is garbage day Vancouver WA the same system?
No. Vancouver, Washington is a separate United States system. Use Waste Connections of Washington’s customer schedule and the City of Vancouver, Washington garbage and recycling information.