With a crew of roughly 500, our annual spring cleanup operation is a massive undertaking. We sweep our entire street network, including boulevards along main routes, bike paths, and sidewalks. Crews also clean up litter and debris in our parks. On average, we collect approximately 45,000 tonnes of debris during this process.
We started this year’s operations on April 14. We should cover the whole city in about five or six weeks.
It’s important during this time to watch for temporary “No Parking” signage so you can avoid a ticket and a tow. We don’t put these temporary signs everywhere but do install them on routes where we know parked cars would present challenges to crews.
Parking is illegal in these spots and vehicles parked in violation may receive a $150 ticket. They may also be towed to the towing company’s compound at the owners’ expense.
While parking is still technically allowed on routes that don’t get temporary signs, it really helps us if you avoid parking on your street when it is scheduled for cleaning if possible.
You can find out when street cleaning will be happening on your residential street by using the Know Your Zone app. Download the app on your mobile device for free at the Apple App Store or Google Play app store.
Once the app is updated to the current version, add your address to your favourites and you’ll receive push notifications approximately 24-hours in advance of planned cleanup operations on your street.
You can also follow the progress of our spring cleanup activities by viewing an interactive residential streets cleanup status map.
Originally posted on April 20, 2020.