Councillor Castro Liu’s

Community Update

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Newsletter - November 2025 edition

Yard Waste

Yard waste includes leaves, pine cones, fallen fruit, tree/shrub clippings, weeds, flowers, pumpkins, clean straw and dried corn stalks. Soil, sod and grass clippings are NOT ACCEPTED. 

Please do not rake or blow leaves onto the road. Bag or bin them and place them at the curb for collection. See collection guidelines below.

Curbside collection guidelines

  • Yard waste must be placed at the curb no later than 7a.m. on the day of collection and no earlier than 6p.m. the night before.

  • Yard waste must be set out in a large Kraft paper bag or in a reusable, rigid, open top container, such as a garbage can or bushel basket (max. 125L/33gal). No plastic bags.

  • Place a yellow yard waste sticker on open-top reusable containers. Free stickers are available at Access Richmond Hill (225 East Beaver Creek Road) and at the Operations Center (1200 Elgin Mills Road East). 

  • Bundle branches, sticks and twigs with twine (maximum length 1.2m/4ft and maximum diameter of 10cm/4in per branch).

  • Each container, bag or bundle must not exceed 18 kg/40lbs.

  • If yard waste has not been collected, it must be removed from the curb by 9p.m. on the collection day. It is against the City's Waste Bylaw to leave yard waste at the curb days prior to collection.

2025 Yard Waste Collection Schedule: October 14 to December 12 - Weekly on your regular waste collection day.

Merry Marketplace

Step into a winter wonderland and join us at our fourth annual Merry Marketplace. The spirit of the holiday season will come alive under the twinkle of thousands of lights, which will illuminate daily until 10 p.m.

We are also collecting non-perishable food at the Information Booth (located near the entrance) in support of the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank. When dropping off your food donation, be sure to fill out a ballot for your chance to win a prize pack. *1 entry per donation, per week * Five winners will be selected after December 13. Prizes include a one of a kind prize made by a local Richmond Hill artisan, made possible by the Artist Co-op.

Dates: Saturday, November 15, 22 & 29, December 6, 13

Time: 4 – 8 p.m.

Location: Richmond Green Park

Blue Box Program Changes in 2026

The Province of Ontario is transitioning the blue box program to a new model that makes producers of recyclable materials responsible for their collection and processing instead of municipalities.

Starting January 1, 2026, residential recycling in Richmond Hill will be managed by Circular Materials (CM), a non-profit organization that represents producers. CM has contracted Miller Waste to collect your blue box recycling and manage customer service inquiries. You will continue to receive uninterrupted recycling collection service on your regular collection day.

What's changing

Starting January 1, 2026:

  • New customer service contact: All blue box related inquiries, including missed collections and requests for new or replacement blue boxes must be made directly to Miller Waste, instead of to the City. Contact details will be posted here once they are available.

  • Separate trucks for recycling/organics: Blue boxes and green bins will be collected by separate trucks instead of being co-collected on the same truck. Your collection day stays the same, but collection times will vary.

  • You can recycle more materials: New items include hot and cold takeout cups and lids, plastic bags, foam packaging, black plastic containers, deodorant sticks and toothpaste tubes. Learn more at: circularmaterials.ca/recycleontario

What is NOT changing

  • Collection schedule: There will be no changes to the collection schedule, but collection times will vary. 

  • Blue box: You can continue to put your recycling out in the same blue box you are using now.

  • Garbage, organics and yard waste collection: The City will continue to collect garbage, green bins and yard waste, as well as large appliances and bulky items following the current collection schedule. 

City staff are working with Circular Materials to help ensure a smooth transition and keep our community informed.

For more information: https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/blue-box-program-changes-in-2026.aspx