Toronto Yard Waste Branch Rules: Size Limits, Bundling, and Oversize Wood

Fall is when Toronto yards produce the most branches: storm limbs, hedge trimmings, the pile left after a tree service visit, and the brush that has been sitting behind the garage since spring. The City will take a lot of it for free at the curb, but only if it meets a short list of rules. Branches that break those rules get left behind with a sticker, and the pile keeps growing.

This guide covers the City of Toronto rules for setting out branches in 2026, what the Drop-Off Depots accept, and what your options are for wood that is too big, too heavy, or simply too much. Junk 'Of' Urs hauls branches, brush, logs, and bagged yard waste across Toronto and the GTA. We do not cut, trim, or chip trees, so if a limb is still attached, you need an arborist first. Once it is on the ground, we can take it away.

The City of Toronto rules for branches at the curb

The City collects yard waste every other week on your garbage day, from around mid-March to mid-December. Check your collection schedule or the TOwaste app for your exact dates, because the last pickup of the season varies by collection area.

Branch diameter cannot be more than 7.5 cm (3 inches). Measure across the thick end of each branch. Anything thicker is not collected, even if it is short.

Tie branches and brush into bundles no longer than 1.2 m (4 feet), no wider than 0.6 m (2 feet), and no heavier than 20 kg (44 lb). Use natural fibre rope such as twine or burlap. Bundles tied with plastic or metal wire are not collected.

Loose twigs, leaves, and small trimmings go in kraft paper yard waste bags or a rigid open-top container between 55 cm and 95 cm tall. Yard waste in plastic bags or cardboard boxes is not collected.

Set yard waste out 0.5 m away from your garbage bin. For daytime collection, it has to be out by 7 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. the night before. Night collection areas have their own set-out window, which is printed on your schedule.

Grass clippings, sod, and soil are not collected at the curb. Knock the excess soil off pulled weeds and roots before bagging them.

What the Drop-Off Depots take

If you have a vehicle and the pile meets the size rules, all seven City Drop-Off Depots accept yard waste year-round: Bermondsey, Commissioners, Disco, Dufferin, Ingram, Scarborough, and Victoria Park. The depot size limits are the same as the curb: no pieces over 7.5 cm in diameter or 1.2 m long (Christmas trees are the exception). Soil and grass are not accepted at any location.

Yard waste loads under 20 kg are free. At 20 kg or more, the 2026 rate is $142.40 per tonne, charged on the full weight. You pay a deposit before unloading, loads must be secured, and during the busiest windows (11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.) City trucks get priority, so expect a wait.

For a trailer of leafy brush, the tip fee itself is usually modest. The real cost of doing it yourself is the cutting, the bundling to spec, and the trips. A pile that looks like one load often springs back into two or three once it is on a trailer.

What to do with branches that are too big

The City's own advice for wood over 7.5 cm is to arrange a private company. You have three realistic options.

Cut it down yourself. If you own a saw and the wood is manageable, cutting to 1.2 m lengths and under 7.5 cm lets you use curbside pickup or a depot. Anything thicker than 7.5 cm still does not qualify, no matter how short you cut it.

Ask your arborist to haul. If a tree service is doing the cutting, ask whether removal and chipping are included. Many quote cutting and hauling separately.

Book a haul-away. A junk removal crew loads the pile as is, including logs, rounds, and long limbs, and takes it to a facility that accepts it. This is where Junk 'Of' Urs comes in. We haul what is on the ground. We do not climb, fell, trim, or chip.

What branch and brush hauling costs with Junk 'Of' Urs

Brush is priced by the load, not by the bundle. One of our brush loads is about 9 cubic yards of yard-pile volume, and every load price includes the dump trip and the tip fee. All prices below include HST.

A small curbside pile of a few bundles (up to about 1.5 cubic yards) is $149. For bigger piles, a quarter load is $189, a half load is $269, three quarters is $349, and a full brush load is $419. Each additional full load on the same job is $329, so two full loads come to $749 and three come to $1,079.

Logs, rounds, or oversize pieces (over 7.5 cm thick or longer than 1.2 m) add $39 to each load that contains them, because the depots will not take them as regular yard waste. A load that is mostly logs is priced at $449 instead of $329, since it hits weight limits long before it fills the trailer. If the pile is more than 25 m from where the truck can park, or behind a narrow side gate, add $39 per load. Leaves in plastic bags that we have to empty add $20 per 10 bags, so kraft bags save you money.

For any job over one load we put it in writing: the price covers up to a set number of loads, each extra load is a fixed amount, and if it takes fewer loads, you pay less.

How to get an accurate quote from photos

Brush is the hardest thing in junk removal to estimate from a photo, because leafy branches look flatter than they are. Before you request a quote, take two or more photos from different angles with something for scale in the frame, like a person, a car, or a fence. Pace out the rough length, width, and height of each pile in feet. Add a photo of the path from the street to the pile, including any gate or stairs.

Large lots in neighbourhoods like Lawrence Park, Forest Hill, or along the ravines off Bayview can produce several loads in a single fall cleanup. Measurements up front keep the quote honest for both sides.

What we do not take in a brush load

Soil, sod, grass clippings, rocks, and stumps with soil or root balls attached are not accepted at Toronto depots, so we either decline them or quote them separately as heavy material. We also do not chip on site. If your pile is mixed with household junk, like broken patio furniture or fence panels, tell us. The City prices loads by material type, so mixed loads are quoted differently.

Ready to clear the pile? Send photos and measurements at junkofurs.com/quote and we will reply with a written price before anything is loaded.

Frequently asked questions

What size branches does the City of Toronto pick up?

Branches up to 7.5 cm (3 inches) in diameter, tied with natural fibre twine into bundles no longer than 1.2 m, no wider than 0.6 m, and no heavier than 20 kg. They go out on your yard waste day, 0.5 m from your garbage bin.

Can I put branches in plastic bags in Toronto?

No. Yard waste in plastic bags or cardboard boxes is not collected. Use kraft paper yard waste bags, a rigid open-top container between 55 cm and 95 cm tall, or tied bundles.

Where do I take branches that are too big for pickup?

City Drop-Off Depots follow the same 7.5 cm and 1.2 m limits, so thicker wood needs a private company. Junk 'Of' Urs hauls logs and oversize branches that are already on the ground. We do not cut or trim trees.

How much does it cost to have a brush pile hauled away in Toronto?

With Junk 'Of' Urs, a small curbside pile starts at $149 all-in. A single full brush load (about 9 cubic yards) is $419, and each extra load is $329. Logs add $39 per load. Send photos for a written quote.