Garbage Collection

Important update for 2027

Upcoming Changes to Waste Collection Schedule

What is Changing to the Waste Collection Schedule?

Starting the week of January 4, 2027, some Stratford households will have a new waste collection day.

For affected households, garbage and green bin collection will continue weekly, while recycling collection will continue every other week. Residents should place materials at the curb on their new collection day:

Recycling: by 7:00 a.m.
Garbage and Green Bin: by 8:00 a.m.

Residents who receive a collection notice should update their schedules and begin setting out materials on their new day in January.

The Recycle Coach App will be updated in January to reflect these changes.

Where Are the Changes Happening?

Changes will occur in selected neighbourhoods across Stratford as waste collection routes are updated for 2027. Most of the changes will happen in the Tuesday and Wednesday WEST collection zones. Some other isolated areas, such as Albert Street, will also experience a change in waste collection day.

Affected residents will receive a notice confirming their new collection day. The updated collection map will also identify the areas included in the route changes.

Why Are these Changes Happening?

The City is updating collection routes to provide more timely, reliable, and consistent waste collection service.

The changes will help balance collection demands across the city, improve route efficiency, and ensure the waste collection system has capacity to serve future residential growth.

The City of Stratford offers curbside collection for garbage. Trucks begin collecting at 8 a.m. on your scheduled garbage day so please have all items to the curb by then.

Information on garbage and recycling collection schedules, recyclable items and convenient in-app reminders are available through the Recycle Coach App.

Printed or electronic copies of the current Garbage and Recycle Collection Schedule and Map are available upon request. Please email our Public Works division.

Downtown Core

If you are located in the white section of the Garbage and Recycling Schedule and Map, garbage day is every Tuesday and Friday at 6:00 a.m, green bin is every Friday at 6:00 a.m., and recycling is every Wednesday at 6:00 a.m.

Curbside Pay as You Waste Program

Pay as You Waste: What is it, and who is affected?

If you place garbage out for collection in Stratford you will be paying direct for the cost of collecting and disposing of that garbage at the landfill site. The pay as you waste system treats garbage like a utility where decreased usage means decreased costs. All garbage placed out for collection needs to be tagged for collection.

How do I tag my garbage?

Garbage can be placed out in three ways:

In bags
In garbage cans
In tied bundles

Remember to:

Wrap the tag around the neck of a bag or the handle of a can. Tags will be thrown out with the bag or torn off the handle of a can each time it is set out.
Stick the tag to itself; do not stick it flat on the surface of the bag.
The tag is not a twist tie, so do not try to tie your bag with it.
If the lid cannot be placed on the garbage can it is too full to be picked up.
Please do not use blue bags for waste.

Where do I buy tags?

City Hall 1 Wellington St.
7-Eleven 327 Erie St.
Blowes Stationery 34 Wellington St.
Canadian Tire Gas Bar 1101 Ontario St.
Daisy Mart 555 Downie St.
East End Variety 231 Douro St.
Esso 501 Ontario St.
Giant Tiger 477 Huron St.
Hallmark/Blowes 1067 Ontario St. (Festival Marketplace Shopping Mall)
Joe's Variety 760 Ontario St.
Mobil 180 Erie St.
Mornington Variety 231 Mornington St.
North End Pharmacy 240 Graff Ave.
Shell Station 405 Huron St.
Sobey's 581 Huron St.
Stratford Mini Mart / GoCo 666 Ontario St.
Stratford Variety 542 Downie St.
The Corner Convenience 332 Erie St.
Zehrs 865 Ontario St.

How do I dispose of large items?

White Goods

The City of Stratford currently collects large appliances or white goods on a monthly collection schedule. Pickup is on the 3rd Monday of each month, unless it falls on a holiday (in which case, pickup will be on the following Tuesday). White Goods are not accepted at the landfill site.

A White Goods Sticker is purchased and affixed to the appliance at the curbside, on the pickup date.

If the appliance contains or may have contained freon, the White Goods Sticker is $45.00. If the appliance does not contain freon, the White Goods Sticker is $25.00. Following collection, the item is emptied of freon if necessary, and recycled or repaired.

White Good Stickers can be purchased at City Hall (1 Wellington Street) and the City Hall Annex (82 Erie Street, 3rd Floor) during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Large Items

A large item is any item larger or heavier than a bundle described in the chart below (a couch or desk, for example). Large items need to be tagged for pick up, and will be collected on your regular garbage day.

If you are disposing of such items, a tag can be purchased at City Hall (1 Wellington Street) and the City Hall Annex (82 Erie Street, 3rd Floor) during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Large item tags cost $14.00, and one tag is required for each item. Large items are also accepted at the landfill site at $94.94 per tonne.

Tag Prices Effective January 1, 2026

Garbage container type, size and cost
Type of Garbage Set Out / Container	Capacity and Size Regulations	Cost (number of tags needed)
Plastic Bag	Up to 30 x 38 in. or 76 x 96 cm. 85 Litres Maximum 22kg/50lbs	$3.90 (1 tag)
Small Plastic Bag	Standard plastic grocery store bag with two handles or small household kitchen bag (maximum 9kg/20lbs)	1/2 tag cut lengthwise
Rigid Container	Up to 128 Litres Maximum 22kg/50lbs	$3.90 (1 tag)
Rigid Container	129 to 240 Litres "Carts Ahoy"	$7.80 (2 tags)
Rigid Container	241 to 360 Litres "Carts Ahoy"	$11.70 (3 tags)
Bundle (must be tied)	22 kg or 50 lbs. 100 x 50 x 50 Centimetres or 39 x 20 x 20 inches	$3.90 (1 tag)
Landfill Drop Off	Bag or Can (maximum of 5 bags or cans per vehicle)	$5.10 per bag or can
Landfill Drop Off	Loose loads of garbage (or more than 5 bags or cans)	$94.94 per tonne $25.00 min. fee