Drywall Disposal in Toronto: Which Depots Take It and How to Prep a Load

Drywall is renovation waste. The City of Toronto says renovation waste is not collected at the curb, and it names drywall in that list. You have three real options: take a clean load to a City drop-off depot that accepts drywall, check your municipality in York or Durham or a private facility that will take it, or have a crew load it and haul it.

If the pile is already down, Junk 'Of' Urs hauls it across Toronto, York, and Durham. If it is still on the walls, we can take down interior, non-structural drywall and haul it in the same visit. We do not remove load-bearing walls, and we do not test for or remove asbestos or any hazardous material. Old plaster and wood lath are a different guide. A whole basement gut, and the general choice between a bin and a crew, are different guides too. This page is only about drywall.

Where a drywall load can go

Clean drywall is accepted at only three City of Toronto drop-off depots. The City's accepted-items page says drywall, up to 1 tonne per load, is only accepted at the Bermondsey, Ingram, and Commissioners drop-off depots. The locations page gives the addresses: Bermondsey at 188 Bermondsey Road, Ingram at 50 Ingram Drive, and Commissioners at 400 Commissioners Street. That same locations page lists renovation waste at Disco, Dufferin, Scarborough, and Victoria Park as no drywall. Do not take a drywall load to those four.

The City asks you to remove nails, screws, metal corner beads, ceramics, and wood before drop-off. Fees apply. This guide does not quote a City fee. Check the City of Toronto's drop-off depot pages for the current fees, hours, and rules on the day you go. Hours differ by site, and holiday closures are posted there. A safe motorized vehicle is required. The City says walk-ins are not permitted, and that an unsecured load can be refused entry.

York Region does not collect garbage from your home. Your local city or town runs curbside pickup, so check that municipality before you set drywall at the curb. For a depot, York Region lists drywall as a chargeable item at the McCleary Court Community Environmental Centre at 130 McCleary Court in Vaughan, the Elgin Mills Community Environmental Centre at 1124 Elgin Mills Road East in Richmond Hill, and the Georgina Transfer Station at 23068 Warden Avenue in Georgina. Those pages say the waste has to come from York Region, and that proof of residency is required. Asbestos is not accepted. Fees apply and can change, so check York Region's waste depot pages rather than assuming a tip price.

Durham Region's curbside garbage page says the Region does not collect renovation material such as drywall. Durham's waste management facilities page lists drywall among accepted materials. The same page says the Clarington Household Special Waste Depot accepts household hazardous waste only, so confirm which site takes drywall before you drive. Fees apply. Check the Region of Durham's waste pages for the current rules. We do not quote those fees.

A private facility can be an option when you confirm that it takes drywall and you accept its rules. We do not name private sites, and we do not quote their prices.

How to prep a load

Sort the load before you leave the house. Keep drywall separate from household garbage, recycling, and yard waste. In Toronto, pull nails, screws, metal corner beads, ceramics, and wood. Bag the dust and the small pieces so they stay in the truck. The City can refuse an unsecured load at the gate.

Cut or break sheets down to a size you can lift. A full sheet is awkward on a stair. Keep the pile dry. Wet drywall holds water and weighs much more, and a wet load in bulk can move the haul onto the heavy schedule below.

Leave paint cans, solvents, and other chemicals out of the pile. Those are household hazardous waste, not drywall. Toronto, York, and Durham each handle hazardous waste apart from renovation drywall, and the depots named above do not accept asbestos.

Wear a dust mask and eye protection when you break sheets. If the house is older and the drywall or the spackling might contain asbestos, stop and read the next section before you cut.

Older homes and asbestos

Health Canada says that before 1990, asbestos was mainly used to insulate buildings and homes and to fireproof them. Health Canada also says asbestos may still be found in older building materials, including drywall and spackling, along with cement, plaster, floor and ceiling tiles, and insulation. Dust from drilling, sanding, breaking, or removing those materials is how fibres get into the air.

Have suspect material tested by a qualified professional before anyone tears it out. If asbestos is found, a qualified asbestos removal specialist has to remove it before any ordinary drywall haul. Junk 'Of' Urs does not test for, handle, or remove asbestos or any hazardous material. The page to read is Health Canada's Asbestos and your health.

Why a drywall pile gets expensive

Drywall adds up because of weight and volume together. A room of torn-out board fills a pickup bed quickly. A second room often means a second trip: load, drive, wait at the scale, and unload. The City's 1 tonne limit can split a larger pile into more than one visit.

A bin skips the extra driving only by sitting on the driveway while the work continues. Someone still has to carry every piece out to it. Stop renting a bin. Hire a crew. The general comparison, with no bin prices, is in the junk removal versus bin rental guide. A basement that is more than drywall, including plaster and tile, is in the basement gut guide. This page stays on the drywall load.

What a crew haul costs

Every figure below is before HST. HST is extra. Junk and debris are priced by how much of the truck the pile fills, not by the hour. There is no price per square foot.

Light mixed renovation debris, before HST, is a small pile at $99 to $150, an eighth of a load at $150 to $220, a quarter at $250 to $400, a half at $400 to $550, three quarters at $550 to $700, and a full load of about 15 cubic yards at $650 to $850. Each full load includes 60 to 90 minutes of loading and tear-out time. That included time is per full load. It is not an automatic promise on a partial load.

If you want the drywall taken down as well, the work is interior and non-structural only. Tear-out labour after the included time is $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person crew. The hourly rate is for that tear-out labour. The haul itself stays on the load ranges above. We do not remove a load-bearing wall, a beam, or a post. A wall stays until your contractor or a structural engineer has confirmed in writing that it is not load-bearing.

Wet drywall, plaster, and tile on mortar, in bulk, use the heavy schedule. A heavy call-out is $300 to $450, then about $100 to $160 per tonne after the allowance. If the load weighs more than the photos suggested, we re-quote from the scale ticket. Plaster on wood lath is the lath and plaster guide, not this one.

Stairs, a basement, or a long carry to the truck add $50 to $150 or more. Debris that is already curbside-ready can take 5 to 15 percent off the haul when that discount applies.

Photos, timing, and a written price

For contractors and property managers, book the haul at the end of each phase so the next trade walks into a clear site. Send the photos, the access, where the truck can park, and the timing. The truck leaves with the load. A bin does not stay on the driveway between trades.

For a fast quote, send a wide shot of the pile, how many sheets or rooms it came from, whether it is wet or dry, the stairs and the exit path, and the spot where the truck can park. Note if anyone is living in the house, and whether older material has already been tested.

We confirm volume, access, and weight from those photos, then in writing, before anything is loaded. Send them for a written price at https://junkofurs.com/quote. Great projects start with a clean slate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put drywall in the garbage in Toronto?

No. The City of Toronto says renovation waste is not collected at the curb, and drywall is on that list. Take a clean load to Bermondsey, Ingram, or Commissioners, or have it hauled. Check the City of Toronto's drop-off depot pages for current fees and rules. Durham Region also says it does not collect renovation material such as drywall at the curb. In York Region, the Region does not collect garbage from your home, so check your local city or town before you set drywall out.

Which City of Toronto depots take drywall?

Clean drywall, up to 1 tonne per load, is accepted at Bermondsey at 188 Bermondsey Road, Ingram at 50 Ingram Drive, and Commissioners at 400 Commissioners Street. The City's locations page lists Disco, Dufferin, Scarborough, and Victoria Park as no drywall. Remove nails, screws, metal corner beads, ceramics, and wood. Fees apply. Check the City of Toronto drop-off depot pages before you go.

How much does a drywall haul cost?

Before HST, a light mixed haul runs from a small pile at $99 to $150 up to a full load of about 15 cubic yards at $650 to $850. An eighth is $150 to $220, a quarter is $250 to $400, a half is $400 to $550, and three quarters is $550 to $700. Tear-out labour after the time included with a full load is $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person crew. Wet drywall in bulk uses a heavy call-out of $300 to $450, then about $100 to $160 per tonne. Stairs or a long carry add $50 to $150 or more. The haul is priced by the load, not by the hour.

Will you take the drywall down, or only haul it?

Both, when the drywall is an interior, non-structural finish. If it is already down, the visit is a haul. If it is still on the wall, tear-out labour applies after the time included with a full load. We do not remove a load-bearing wall. If the material might contain asbestos, work stops until a qualified professional has tested it and, if needed, a qualified asbestos removal specialist has cleared it.

Do you handle drywall that might contain asbestos?

No. We do not test for, handle, or remove asbestos or any hazardous material. Health Canada says asbestos may still be found in older drywall and spackling, and that before 1990 it was mainly used to insulate and fireproof buildings and homes. Have suspect material tested before anyone cuts it.