Get details about green waste collections
Collection schedules, accepted materials, materials that are not accepted and types of bins that are allowed. Find out how to put out green waste according to standards.
Green waste is organic waste: grass clippings, dead leaves, spring yard cleaning and gardening waste, etc.
Green waste is only collected for part of the year. Generally, this is from spring to fall. In some boroughs (Lachine, Pierrefonds-Roxboro), green waste collection has been merged with organic materials collections that take place all year long.
The green waste collection produces compost, which is distributed to residents once or twice a year depending on the borough.
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Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are three possibilities available to you:
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg. Volume must not exceed 2 m3.
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Open cardboard boxes with a maximum length of 1.5 m
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles and the lid removed, of maximum 150 litres and maximum 25 kg (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- During periods when there is no green waste collection, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Rules to be respected
Put the containers away before 10:00 p.m. on the day of collection.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard Boxes
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles, of maximum 150 litres and maximum 25 kg (please do not use the bins provided by the city). Bins with a capacity of 360 liters will not be accepted.
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
The green waste and dead leaves collection is now included in the organic waste collection for all buildings, whether they count eight dwellings or fewer, or nine dwellings or more.
For large size leafy branches and trunks, specific collections are organized.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
The collection period lasts for six weeks in the spring and six weeks in the fall. Dates vary depending on weather conditions. To get the collection schedule, see Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
Buildings with eight dwellings or fewer
The green waste and dead leaves collection is included in the organic waste collection.
Buildings with nine dwellings or more
The green waste collection is offered for these buildings. To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
For branches that cannot be put out during regular branch collections, a paid collection (content in French) is available.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) not fastened in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Compostable paper bags
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. of maximum 150 litres (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Compostable paper bags
- Reusable rigid containers, without a cover: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 50 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Paper bags
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles and without a cover, of maximum 150 litres (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
Green waste and dead leaves are now included in the organic waste collection.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Rigid reusable containers clearly identified for green waste : garbage cans, etc., except the borough’s bins (recycling bin and brown bin)
- Compostable paper bags
As of January 1, 2024, all types of plastic bags are banned from green waste collection.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Compost distribution
Part of the compost produced through the green waste collection is distributed free of charge to residents once a year in the springtime. See the montreal.ca news section to learn more.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles and without a cover, similar in capacity to garbage cans used for household garbage (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Schedule collection
The green waste and dead leaves collection is included in the organic waste collection.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Compostable paper bags
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles and a cover: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Containers must be closed and identified “green waste”
Biodegradable paper bags are distributed free of charge:
- At the Accès Montréal office
- At the Éco-quartier de Saint-Laurent
There is a limit of 10 bags per building, per year.
To get the bags, you must show proof of residence.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Reusable rigid containers, equipped with handles: garbages cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Compostable paper bags
Plastic bags are prohibited as containers.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Distribution of compost
Some of the compost produced via the green waste collection is distributed free of charge to residents twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. Please view the calendar (in French) at montreal.ca to find out more.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
If the branches are not tied in bundles, are more than 5 cm in diameter and you are unable to come to the écocentre, you must call in a private contractor.
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Compostable paper bags
- Reusable rigid plastic containers, equipped with handles and the lid removed, of maximum 150 litres and maximum 25 kg: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
- Containers must be identified “green waste”
For all types of ash branches, you must come to the écocentre.
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes that do not allow any residue to escape, are not more than 1.5 m long and do not weigh more than 25 kg when filled
- Bins with a maximum capacity of 150 litres, closed by a lid and fitted with handles, weighing not more than 25 kg when filled
- Paper bags weighing not more than 25 kg when filled
Collection schedules
To find out when to put out your green waste for pickup, visit Info-Collectes.
Outside of these collection periods, there are four possibilities available to you:
- Bring your garden debris (including branches with a diameter greater than 5 cm) to the ecocentre nearest you to be composted.
- Put your garden debris in your garden composter if you have one.
- Keep your garden debris on your property until the next collection period.
- As a last resort, put green waste in your household waste. In this case, they will be treated as household waste and will not be composted.
Acceptable materials
- Dead leaves
- Debris from stubble plowing
- Debris from fruit and vegetable gardening
- Evergreen (including hedges and cedar) and deciduous tree branches with a maximum diameter of 5 cm (2 in) fastened with fiber rope in 1 m (3.3 ft) long bundles with a maximum diameter of 50 cm (20 in) and a maximum weight of 25 kg
- Lawn clippings
- Green waste, branches, twigs
- Wood chips
Unacceptable materials
- Branches that are more than 1 m long with a diameter greater than 5 cm
- Food waste
- Pet litter
- Sawdust
- Shrubbery
- Soil, rocks
- Stumps, trunks
Acceptable containers
- Cardboard boxes
- Paper bags
- Reusable rigid containers: garbage cans, etc. (please do not use the bins provided by the city)
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