Markham Trash Pickup & Garbage Schedule 2026

Markham households get weekly recycling and organics collection, while clear-bag garbage and bulky items are collected every other week. Yard material is also every other week, but only during the April to December season. Starting January 1, 2026, blue-box recycling moved to Ontario’s producer-run system, but Markham residents still follow the same collection day and still use the same 80L blue box.

How to Find Your Markham Trash Pickup Day (Fast Lookup)

Markham’s collection schedule is address-based, and the official collection-schedules page is the easiest way to confirm which Area you are in and when each stream is collected. The city also offers weekly reminders through the Access Markham app and online reminders.

1. Open Markham’s official Collection Schedules page. Go to Collection Schedules.
2. Enter your address or view your area schedule. The page links to the 2026 calendar and reminder tools.
3. Check all streams together. Recycling and organics are weekly, but clear-bag garbage and bulky items are every other week.
4. Use reminders. Markham promotes personalized reminders and the Access Markham app so you do not miss alternate-week service.
5. Re-check around holidays. Markham shifts service when a statutory holiday falls between Tuesday and Friday.

Markham Trash Pickup Schedule: What Runs When

Markham publishes one of the clearest frequency summaries in Ontario. Here is the 2026 curbside pattern for most single-family homes using city residential service.

Markham says everything should be at the curb by 7 a.m. on your pickup day or after 7 p.m. the night before. Collection times can change without notice, so the city recommends having everything ready before the morning route begins.

Markham Clear Bag Garbage Rules

Markham uses a clear-bag garbage system, not a regular opaque-bag system. The city is very specific that only clear bags are accepted, and black, dark, tinted, coloured, or white garbage bags will not be collected.

Important clear-bag rules:

• Use regular-size clear garbage bags only
• There is no bag limit, but each bag must stay under 18 kg
• Small privacy bags are allowed only inside the clear bag, up to 4 per collection
• Clear bags can be placed inside a garbage can, but the can must still be under 18 kg
• Loose garbage will be left behind

Markham Blue Box Changes for 2026

Starting January 1, 2026, Markham’s blue-box program moved into Ontario’s producer-run Blue Box system. The city says curbside blue-box collection and processing are now operated by Circular Materials Ontario, and all blue-box-related inquiries must go directly to Miller Waste.

What stayed the same in 2026:

• Same collection schedule
• Same 80L blue box container
• Same curbside pickup day
• Same collector, Miller Waste

What changed:

• Missed blue-box pickup is no longer handled by the City of Markham
• New or replacement blue boxes must be handled through Miller Waste
• Many more materials are now accepted in the curbside blue box, including plastic film, Styrofoam, chip bags, snack wrappers, and some additional packaging types

Markham Green Bin Organics

Markham’s green bin material is collected every week on your regular collection day. The city allows residents to line their kitchen container and green bin with reused plastic bags, and extra organic material can go in a clear bag placed beside the bin.

Markham also recommends keeping meat, fish, and bones in the freezer until collection day and setting the bin out the morning of pickup rather than the previous night, especially in warm weather.

Markham Yard Material Collection

Yard material in Markham is collected every other week, but only during the seasonal window from April 7 to October 30, 2026. The city is very clear that early set-out is not permitted and that homeowners are responsible for making sure hired lawn-care companies follow the rules too.

Set-out rules for yard material:

• Use kraft paper bags, not plastic bags or cardboard boxes
• Or use open rigid containers with no lids
• All bags, containers, and bundles must weigh less than 18 kg
• Branches and brush must be bundled with string, not wire
• Bundles must be under 1.2 metres long
• Branch diameter must be less than 15 centimetres

Accepted: leaves, shrubs, twigs, branches, weeds, pumpkins, flowers, garden plants, and small root balls.

Not accepted: grass clippings, sod, dirt, gravel, cement, topsoil, rocks, animal waste, or road sweepings.

Bulky Items, Appliances, and Metal Items

Broken bulky items in Markham are collected every other week on the same day as your clear-bag garbage. No appointment is needed for regular bulky items, but large appliances follow a separate monthly appointment system.

Markham says bulky items should be placed neatly at the curb by 7 a.m., no earlier than the night before. The city also notes that 2-piece toilets must be separated into tank and bowl for safer handling.

1. For broken furniture and normal bulky waste: put it out on your clear-bag garbage week.
2. For appliances: call 905-477-5530 to book and pay for monthly collection.
3. For large metal items: call the same number to book the monthly pickup, but metal is free.
4. Do not set out renovation debris. Markham says renovation material is not collected at the curb.

Markham 2026 Holiday Collection

Markham’s holiday rule is simple: when a statutory holiday falls between Tuesday and Friday, collection shifts to the following day. The city gives Good Friday as the example, with Friday Areas A and B moving to Saturday.

The safest approach is still to use the 2026 collection schedule for your exact area, because the holiday shift affects different areas differently depending on the weekday route.

What to Do If Markham Missed Your Pickup

In 2026, Markham split support between the City and Miller Waste depending on the waste stream. City-managed streams still include green bin organics, clear-bag garbage, bulky items, and yard material. Blue-box recycling issues go to Miller Waste.

1. Check the calendar first. Make sure it was actually your pickup week for garbage, bulky items, or yard material.
2. Review the set-out time. Material must be out by 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. the night before.
3. Make sure the material met the rules. Clear bags only for garbage, 18 kg weight limits, no grass clippings in yard material.
4. Use the right contact. Blue-box issues go to Miller Waste. Other city streams stay with Markham.

Markham Recycling Depots & Drop-Off Options

Markham operates local recycling depots, but their role changed in 2026. The city says they no longer accept blue-box recyclables, cardboard, Styrofoam, or plastic bags, because those materials now belong in the curbside blue box.

Markham depots do accept:

• Green bins and kitchen catchers for purchase
• Electronics for free recycling
• Textile donation bin access

Markham depots do not accept:

• Blue box recyclables
• Cardboard
• Styrofoam or plastic bags
• Yard material
• Appliances
• Tires
• Organics
• Regular garbage

Frequently Asked Questions About Markham Trash Pickup

Official Markham Waste Collection Resources

Need help? For green bin, clear-bag garbage, bulky items, and yard material, call 905-477-5530. For missed blue-box collection or replacement blue boxes, call 1-855-752-3762.