Current Situation
In 2022, Overnight waste collection was granted an exemption to the noise bylaw. This bylaw states that “noise is not permitted from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day or until 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays”. The exemption was granted for “citizen safety” reasons. In November, 2024, at City Council this item was passed without debate. This somewhat secretive exemption has impacted the sleep, health and wellbeing of tens of thousands of people ever since.
Bylaw
City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 591 Article 3, EXEMPTS waste collection noise from noise prohibitions.
A Picture of Waste Collection
Let’s put an end to 107 decibel wake up calls multiple times a week, or for some, multiple times a night. This image is a measurement taken during the day – but we know the process is not any quieter at night. At night, this area (typical of other high rise condos) averages 55 dba. So when there is waste collection at night, the spikes are even worse and impact everyone within earshot.
- Decibels are on the vertical axis and time is along the bottom.
- # of bins indicated by the 30 decibel spikes.
- back up noises which are as loud as 85 decibels.
You can watch a short recording of this measurement (on a different day) on this YouTube video .
Solutions
It is much easier to stop something from happening than to stop something that is happening. The fact that there was no public input to this change clearly favoured the waste collection companies. While No More Noise would love to remove the exemption (and encourages residents to work towards this) we are advocating for other changes in the short term:
- Driver education about how to operate the trucks and bins quietly
- Fines for exceeding certain thresholds
- Area sound level monitoring of the immediate pick up area
- Pick up coordination, to reduce individual disturbances
- Electric vehicles
- Improvements in waste reduction management
Make a Noise Report
If this noise bothers you, you have three options:
- Click here to create a Exempted Noise Service Request
- Phone call – dial 311
- Through the 311 mobile app – click the link to download
You can also send an email to mlsfeedback@toronto.ca suggesting how they can improve.
Every report is a data point that the city will use to make future decisions. Plus, the more that people report a problem the more likely it is that the Noise Team will act.
You can also contact your Councillor:
- Find out who that is at this link
- Tell them about the noise disturbance
- Present a solution if you have one
You may not get a response from your Councillor, but they or their staff do read every email. Be polite and concise.