When Is Leaf Collection in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton? Bags, Dates and Rules (2026)

Verified October 17, 2026 against City of Toronto, City of Mississauga, City of Brampton and Region of Peel sources.

The short answer: in most of the GTA, leaves go out with your regular yard waste, in paper yard waste bags or a labelled rigid bin. In Toronto, yard waste is picked up every other week on your garbage day, from around mid-March to mid-November. In Mississauga and Brampton, the Region of Peel picks up yard waste every week on your collection day. A few older, heavily treed streets get loose leaf pickup from the curb: Mississauga’s Fall Leaf Pickup and Brampton’s Leaf Vacuum Program in downtown Brampton and Churchville. Toronto no longer runs its mechanical leaf collection program.

Plastic bags are the most common reason leaves get left behind. All three cities refuse yard waste in plastic. This guide covers dates, containers, size limits and the rules that catch people out each fall.

Toronto vs Mississauga vs Brampton at a glance

Toronto: bag your leaves for every other garbage day

The City of Toronto picks up yard waste every other week on your garbage collection day, from around mid-March to mid-November. Your exact dates are on your collection calendar, which you can look up by address on the City’s website. The City does not publish one end date for the whole city, so check your own calendar for the last pickup of the year.

• Containers: kraft paper yard waste bags, or rigid open-top containers with an outside height of 55 cm to 95 cm. Yard waste in plastic bags or cardboard boxes is not collected.
• Branches: tie them in bundles with natural fibre rope such as twine or burlap, not metal or plastic. Bundles can be up to 1.2 m (4 ft) long, 0.6 m (2 ft) wide and 20 kg (44 lb). Wood over 7.5 cm (3 in) thick is not accepted.
• Where to put it: 0.5 m from your Garbage Bin.
• When to put it out: for daytime collection, no earlier than 8 p.m. the night before and no later than 7 a.m. For nighttime collection, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on your collection day.
• Between pickups: store bags on your own property, not on the boulevard or other City land.

Missed the last pickup? Yard waste that meets the size rules can go to a City Drop-Off Depot year-round. The City says fees may apply.

Toronto’s vacuum leaf program has ended

Some residents in parts of Etobicoke, York and Scarborough used to rake leaves to the curb for a City vacuum truck. The City’s page now says it “is no longer providing the Mechanical Vacuum Leaf Collection Program,” and that ending it saves about $2.3 million a year. If you used to rely on it, bag your leaves for garbage day instead.

Mississauga and Brampton: weekly Peel yard waste pickup

The Region of Peel collects curbside yard waste for houses in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. In 2026 pickup started the week of March 9, weekly in Brampton and Mississauga. Urban Caledon is every other week, and rural Caledon is on set Fridays. Peel’s release did not give an end date for the fall, so check your address on the Peel collection calendar before you rake the last of the leaves.

Paper bags

• Kraft brown paper bags only. Plastic bags filled with yard waste are not collected.
• Under 20 kg (44 lb) when full, with room at the top to close the bag.
• No more than 66 cm (26 in) wide and 90 cm (35 in) high.

Reusable bins

• Rigid, with rigid handles, open at the top and under 20 kg (44 lb) when full.
• Under 60 cm (24 in) wide and 95 cm (38 in) high, with a maximum capacity of 125 L.
• Clearly labelled “yard waste” with a marker or sticker. Free stickers are available at Peel Community Recycling Centres and at Access Peel (10 Peel Centre Drive, Brampton, or 7120 Hurontario Street, Mississauga).
• Your blue recycling cart, grey garbage cart and green organics cart cannot be used for yard waste.

Branches and timing

Single branches must be under 1.2 m (4 ft) long and 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. Tie loose brush with string or twine into bundles under 1.2 m long, under 76 cm (30 in) across and under 20 kg. Put yard waste out by 7 a.m., with at least 1 m (3 ft) of space between it and your carts. Trucks can come as late as 8 p.m., often after garbage and recycling, so a bag still at the curb at noon has not necessarily been missed.

Loose leaf pickup in Mississauga and Brampton

Mississauga Fall Leaf Pickup

Mississauga collects loose leaves on streets that are more than 35 years old and have many large mature trees. The City’s online route map shows whether your street is included and when crews are scheduled. If it is:

• Rake leaves into a neat pile at the edge of the boulevard, or into your ditch, one or two days before your collection week starts.
• Do not mix in wood, bricks or brush. They can damage equipment and injure workers.
• Keep leaves off the road and away from curbside storm drains.
• Do not put garbage bags or bins on top of the pile, and move parked cars and sports equipment off the road.

Rain or early snow can delay the schedule. You can sign up for leaf pickup alerts through the City’s service alerts form or call 311 (905-615-4311 from outside the city). Leaves that fall after your street is done go out with your Peel yard waste in paper bags or labelled bins.

Brampton Leaf Vacuum Program

Brampton runs a Leaf Vacuum Program on specific streets in downtown Brampton and the residential part of the Churchville neighbourhood. The City chose these areas for their older infrastructure, heavy tree canopy and floodplain locations. Everywhere else in Brampton, leaves go out with Peel yard waste.

• The 2026 program is expected to run from mid to late autumn. The end date depends on weather and leaf volume.
• Crews do at least three rounds in each area, and residents get a notice before work starts.
• Rake leaves into a neat pile at the boulevard’s edge a day or two before your collection starts, or into your ditch. Do not pile leaves on the sidewalk.
• Private streets and condominiums inside the zones are not included.
• The City’s Leaf Vacuum Tracker Map shows each area as not started, underway or completed. If your area shows complete and your street was missed, call 311 (905-874-2000 from outside the city).

What goes in the bags, and what does not

Toronto lists invasive plants such as giant hogweed, dog-strangling vine, garlic mustard, buckthorn, Japanese knotweed, Norway maple and Manitoba maple. These go in a securely tied plastic bag as garbage, not yard waste.

Common reasons leaves are left at the curb

1. Plastic bags. Paper yard waste bags only, in every city.
2. Unlabelled bins in Peel. A reusable bin needs a “yard waste” label or sticker. Your blue, grey or green carts do not count.
3. Wrong week in Toronto. Toronto yard waste is every other week, so check the calendar.
4. Too heavy. Wet leaves are heavy. Keep each bag, bin or bundle under 20 kg (44 lb).
5. Branches too big. Over 7.5 cm thick in Toronto, or over 1.2 m long or 10 cm thick in Peel, needs a drop-off site or a contractor.
6. Grass, soil or sod mixed in. None of the three cities accepts them as yard waste.
7. Too late. Have it out by 7 a.m., or between 6 and 9 p.m. for Toronto night collection.

Keeping some leaves in your yard

Both Toronto and Peel suggest leaving some fallen leaves and plant stems in garden beds over winter. Pollinators and other insects shelter in them, and the leaves feed the soil. Mississauga also suggests composting leaves or spreading them around the base of trees to protect the soil from extreme temperatures.

The spring advice differs slightly. Toronto suggests waiting until temperatures stay above 10 degrees, day and night, for at least a week before cleaning up. Peel suggests waiting until it is consistently 15 °C or warmer.

Tips for homeowners, buyers and landlords

• Mature trees mean more bags. A lot with large trees can fill many bags each fall. In Toronto, with pickups every other week, that means storing full bags on your property between collections. Removing or heavily pruning a large tree usually needs a permit, so read our guide to tree removal permits in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton before you call an arborist.
• Know your street before you buy. In Mississauga and in parts of downtown Brampton and Churchville, a home may sit on a loose leaf pickup route. Check the City maps if a fall cleanup matters to you.
• Keep drains clear. Leaves on curbside drains cause ponding and, later, ice. Mississauga and Brampton both ask residents to keep curbside storm drains clear of raked leaves.
• Tenants and landlords. If you rent out a house or a basement unit, put who rakes, bags and sets out yard waste in writing, along with snow clearing. Our guide to who clears the sidewalk in each city covers the winter side.

Thinking about a home with a bigger yard, or about selling before winter? Browse our hubs for Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, see how we help buyers, or ask for a free home evaluation.

FAQ

Sources

• City of Toronto, Yard Waste (modified September 30, 2026)
• City of Toronto, Mechanical Leaf Collection (modified July 16, 2026)
• City of Mississauga, Fall leaf pickup (updated September 29, 2026)
• City of Brampton, Leaf Vacuum Program
• Region of Peel, Yard waste collection begins the week of March 9 (March 2, 2026)
• Region of Peel, Setting out yard waste, Acceptable yard waste, Missed yard waste pickup and Waste sorter: yard waste
• Region of Peel, Regional Council modifies the date of transfer of waste collection services to October 2027 (September 15, 2025)

Featured image: house surrounded by mature trees in fall colour, from the Local Toronto media library.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Collection schedules can change with weather and holidays, so check your city’s or Peel’s calendar, or call 311, for your address. Local Toronto, HomeLife Landmark Realty Inc., Brokerage.