Working together towards a cleaner Vancouver

Put waste in its place

Working together towards a litter-free Vancouver.

Since 2021, we've increased service levels by:

Adding over 200 waste bins in high priority areas such as parks and public plazas
Increasing the service frequency of public waste bins city-wide
Replacing small litter cans with larger cart enclosures
Expanding micro-cleaning services through our Street Cleaning Grant program
Adding street cleaning staff to support expanded cleaning in high priority areas

As more people spend time outside, the demand to keep our outdoor plazas, parks, and beaches clean has grown.

Learn about:

What we do
How you can help
Our partnerships
Outreach and education
Enforcement

What we do

Keeping our streets, sidewalks, and green spaces safe and clean for everyone to enjoy is our priority.

Cleaning and maintenance

Maintaining our sidewalks and streets for garbage, leaves, snow, and potholes play an important role in keeping our city clean and vibrant.

Leaf removal from City streets

City crews remove leaves from streets on a regular basis from November to January. Please move your vehicle during street cleaning.

On-street and park recycling

Where to find zero waste stations in the West End, Downtown, and at City parks and beaches, and how to use them.

How you can help

Keeping Vancouver clean is a shared responsibility and we rely on residents to help keep Vancouver’s vibrant and diverse communities litter-free. Small actions can have big impacts. Here are a few things you can do to protect our environment and keep our city looking spectacular:

Don’t let waste become litter: put waste in its place. Place your waste in the nearest garbage, recycling, or organics bin.
If you smoke, butt out responsibly by fully extinguishing your cigarette butt and placing it in a garbage bin, ashtray, or pocket ashtray.
For group gatherings, plan ahead and use the “Pack-In, Pack-Out” method. Bring waste home with you so it can be sorted into the proper stream.
Show love for your neighbourhood by joining our Adopt-A-Block program or hosting a Neighbourhood Cleanup Party.

Abandoned garbage and illegal dumping

Help us keep your neighbourhood clean and safe by properly reporting abandoned garbage and illegal dumping.

Get involved

Subscribe to updates, join us at a drop off event, volunteer for a litter cleanup, share your ideas to reduce waste.

Cigarette litter reduction

Protect our parks, beaches, waterways and wildlife, and prevent fires by properly disposing of your cigarette butts.

Partnerships

We work closely with these organizations to promote waste reduction and public realm cleanliness:

Vancouver Park Board
Metro Vancouver
Business Improvement Associations
Product Stewardship Agencies
Community Policing Centres

Learn about our other programs:

Street Cleaning Grant Program

Clean Street participants provide micro-cleaning of city lanes and streets throughout the Downtown East Side.

Reuse and recycling drop-off events

Find out if there is a reuse and recycling drop-off event near you.

Plazas and public space

We’re working to create better plazas and gathering spaces throughout the city.

Outreach and education

Our dedicated outreach team focuses on raising awareness and providing education on waste-related programs and initiatives.

Enforcement

We have seven full-time Street Use Inspectors working throughout the city to inspect, educate, and enforce a variety of by-laws associated with street cleanliness issues.

The inspectors ensure both commercial and residential waste and recycling containers are managed appropriately, investigate illegal dumping incidents and, when sufficient evidence is available, pursue fines or prosecution. In 2021, the inspection team investigated over 4,000 by-law infractions.