Team Up to Clean Up

Team up to clean up

Organize a Clean Up Event in Your Community

Help keep your community clean in a few easy steps!

Review the program information
Organize your volunteer team
Complete the Team Up to Clean Up registration below

Team Up to Clean Up is a year-round city-wide community cleanup program that helps keep public places in your neighbourhood clean and safe for everyone. This program provides all the tools you need to run a community cleanup including gloves, and specially marked recycling and garbage bags. You can host a clean up event on City property including parks, trails, alleyways, streets and parking lots.

Team up to clean up

Program Information

Organizing a Clean Up Event

Team Up to Clean Up Toolkit

Cleanup Opportunities

Determine program stream

Choose one of the two streams that best aligns with the type of clean up event you would like to organize.

One-Time Event Stream
This stream is for those organizing a community cleanup event. Even if you host multiple events each year, you would register each event individually.

Ongoing Stream
This stream is for those looking to have supplies on hand at home for sporadic or regular litter collecting activities.

Familiarize yourself with volunteer responsibilities and terms by reviewing the Volunteer Handbook available in the Team Up to Clean Up Toolkit tab. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Choose a location

Select an area where you’ve noticed a lot of litter, such as:

Sporting events
Neighbourhood streets
Vacant lots or parking lots (ensure you have the owners permission)
Parks, trails or play areas
We discourage cleanup near busy streets due to safety concerns

Set the date

Arrange a date and time that will ensure a good turnout of volunteers. Set a rain date in case of bad weather.

Gather volunteers

Find volunteers by encouraging your friends, family and neighbours to join your cleanup event.

Pick Up Supplies

Arrange for a volunteer to pick up your supplies (orange litter bags, clear recycling bags, gloves) from the Municipal service Center you selected on your registration form. Most Municipal Service Centres are open between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays). Check Municipal Service Centre locations and hours online before you visit.

Host Clean up

Review Health & Safety and Toolkit information With Volunteers
Before starting the clean-up, ensure all volunteers have reviewed the health & safety information available in the Team Up to Clean Up Toolkit. Ensure all volunteers have signed the volunteer waiver and photo consent form.

Host your cleanup on the registered date, or set rain date.
Promote your event by sharing before and after photos on social media using #TeamUpToCleanUp and #cleanhamont. Tag us in your photos using our social media handles:

Instagram: @cityofhamilton
X: @cityofhamilton
LinkedIn: @cityofhamilton

Dispose of Litter

The litter you collect from your Team Up to Clean Up event should be disposed of using the option you selected on your registration form.

Curbside

Place collected litter curbside at your house on waste collection day. All litter must be put in orange Team Up to Clean up bags to be exempt from your curbside garbage limits. These bags are only available to groups who have registered with Team Up to Clean Up. Do not use your trash tags on these bags.
You can put out as much recycling as you need on your waste collection day. Place recycling in your blue box or the clear plastic bags provided in your supply kit.

Collection (available to one-time stream events only)

You can request collection from the City if you have 10 or more bags that need to be collected.
If this option is selected on your registration form, you will be asked to specify a location where you intend to leave the collected litter. Bags must be left at this location following the cleanup.

Park Garbage Containers (available to park clean-ups only)

Place specially marked bags around garbage containers location in the Park.

Transfer Station (available to one-time stream events only)

Take collected litter to the transfer station.
A tipping fee waiver will be provided in your supply kit if this options is selected on your registration form.
Following the event, take collected litter to the transfer station and show the provided tipping fee waiver to the scale house attendant.

The Team Up to Clean Up Tool Box is created to offer some of the resources that you require. If you require copies, feel free to print from the pdf in the tool box.

Litter Hotspots
Looking for an area that could benefit from a clean-up? Email [email protected] to be provided with a list of locations for your consideration.

Volunteer Opportunities
Looking to join an existing clean-up instead of organizing your own?

Our Community Partners
The City of Hamilton supports local community groups and organization that help keep Hamilton clean and green. These groups organize regular cleanups that are open to the public to participant. Contact any of these groups to join one of their cleanup teams or participate in a one-time cleanup:

Councilor Ward Cleanups
Many councilors organize cleanups for their ward through the Team Up to Clean Up program. Contact your councilor’s office for more details!

Date modified

October 18, 2024

Hamilton Search