In March 2026, the Region of Waterloo delivered nearly 400,000 new black and green garbage cans to households across Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo. For most residents, it’s the first time they’ll ever own a large, region-issued plastic garbage can and the first time garbage can cleaning becomes a practical reality rather than an abstract idea.
Professional garbage can cleaning has been a standard household service in the United States and the United Kingdom for decades. It has arrived in Canada later, primarily because most Canadian municipalities did not issue standardized wheeled plastic cans until recently.
That has now changed in Waterloo Region. This guide covers why these municipal garbage cans need regular cleaning, what builds up inside a neglected one, how professional cleaning works, why the DIY approach has real limitations, and what the service costs.
Why Garbage Cans Need to Be Cleaned
The collection truck empties the can but they do not clean it. In fact, the the Region of Waterloo clearly states that cleaning the garbage can is the responsibility of the homeowner.
Every bag that goes into a garbage can leaves something behind. Meat packaging leaks. Fruit and vegetable waste breaks down and pools at the base. Coffee grounds, food scraps, and organic liquids find their way through or around the bag and settle into the bottom of the can.
The collection arm lifts the garbage can, empties the contents, and then sets it back on the curb. The residue stays in the bottom and week after week, this builds up.
Waterloo Region’s own 2026 Waste Collection Information Kit states that bags are not required in the cans. Residents are permitted to place loose garbage directly into the can as long as the lid closes. That means raw meat, food scraps, and organic liquids can make direct contact with the plastic interior from the very first collection week. There is no required barrier between the waste and the can.
Black garbage cans are collected every other week. That means residue that escapes a bag (if a bag is even used) can sit in the can for up to fourteen days before pickup.
After collection, the can goes back to the driveway still contaminated, and the cycle starts again. The Region’s own curbside audits show that over 46% of what often ends up in black garbage cans is organic waste that could have gone into the green can.
The green organics can presents a separate situation. Collected weekly, it never fully dries out. Food scraps, meat, and organic matter go in every week. The pest-resistant lock keeps the lid sealed between collections, which means the interior is a warm, damp, dark environment with a continuous supply of organic matter. The conditions are close to ideal for bacterial growth, mold development, and fly egg incubation.
What Is Actually Living in a Dirty Garbage Can
The contamination inside an uncleaned garbage can is not a matter of visible grime. Much of it is invisible, and the invisible portion is the part that matters most.
Bacteria
The bacteria most commonly found in household garbage environments include E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These are not trace amounts.
Research has found garbage environments to be among the most bacteria-dense surfaces in a typical household.
E. coli multiplies rapidly in warm, moist environments. Certain strains, particularly E. coli O157:H7, can cause severe gastrointestinal illness and in serious cases, particularly in young children, can progress to haemolytic uremic syndrome involving kidney failure.
Salmonella can survive for weeks in a garbage can environment. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates nontyphoidal Salmonella is responsible for approximately 87,500 food-related illnesses and 925 hospitalizations in Canada each year.
Transmission occurs through contact with a contaminated surface followed by contact with the mouth; a person touching a garbage can handle and then preparing food, touching a child, or handling a pet’s food bowl creates a direct pathway.
Listeria is notable for one property that sets it apart from most other foodborne bacteria: it multiplies at refrigeration temperatures. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, it grows across a temperature range of 0°C to 45°C, which means a garbage can is a viable Listeria environment year-round, not just in summer.
The can handle deserves specific attention. It is one of the highest-contact surfaces on the property. It is touched every collection day, usually with bare hands, often by every adult in the household.
Biofilm
Biofilm is the invisible bacterial layer that forms on the interior plastic surface of a garbage can after initial contamination. Within 24 hours of contact with a plastic surface, bacteria begin anchoring themselves to it, producing a protective matrix that adheres to the plastic and creates a stable, nutrient-rich environment for ongoing microbial growth.
Once biofilm is established, it is significantly more resistant to removal than free-floating bacteria. Standard rinsing with water does not remove it. The biofilm matrix protects the bacteria within it from mechanical disruption and from many common cleaning agents. This is why a can that appears visually clean after rinsing will produce a strong smell again within days of receiving new waste. The bacteria were never removed. Only the visible waste was.
Mold
The interior of a sealed green can in a Waterloo Region summer is close to ideal for mold growth: warmth, moisture, darkness, and a continuous supply of organic material. The most common molds in waste environments include Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria. All four produce airborne spores. The U.S. Institute of Medicine found sufficient evidence to link indoor mold exposure to upper respiratory tract symptoms and asthma symptoms in otherwise healthy people.
Mold is not visible until it has already established a significant colony. By the time mold growth is visible on the interior of a can, a spore-producing colony has been present for some time. Every time the lid is opened, those spores become airborne.
The Summer Acceleration
Many bacteria multiply most rapidly between 4°C and 60°C. Under ideal conditions, bacteria can double in population approximately every 20 minutes. The interior of a sealed garbage can sitting in direct sun during a Waterloo Region July will comfortably sit within this range for extended periods. A small contamination event, such as a torn bag leaking meat juice onto the base of the can, can escalate to significant bacterial loads within hours.
Flies are drawn to the organic material inside the can within minutes of the lid being opened. A fly can lay eggs in under a minute. At temperatures above 25°C, fly eggs can hatch into maggots within 24 hours.
The interior of a sealed garbage can in a Waterloo Region summer can reach temperatures well above this threshold. By collection day, a week after the previous pickup, a can with organic material and no professional cleaning can be a very toxic environment.
Why DIY Garbage Can Cleaning Falls Short
The instinct to rinse out a garbage can is the right one. The problem is not the intention, it is the tools.
The Temperature Problem
Bacteria are rapidly killed at temperatures above 65°C. This is the threshold established by the World Health Organization based on the thermal denaturation of bacterial proteins. It is the same science behind pasteurization: milk is pasteurized at a minimum of 72°C to destroy Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus.
A standard garden hose in Ontario delivers water in a range of approximately 10°C to 20°C depending on the season. Even hot tap water in a Canadian home, typically set at around 49°C to prevent scalding, does not reach the 65°C bacterial kill threshold. Cold or warm water moves bacteria around. It does not kill them.
Baking soda deodorizes but does not disinfect. The available research on baking soda’s antimicrobial activity shows less than a 3 log10 reduction against the pathogens found in garbage environments. It addresses the symptom, which is odour, without addressing the cause.
Bleach at standard household concentrations does have antimicrobial properties, but its effectiveness on biofilm-covered plastic surfaces is limited. More significantly, bleach reacts with the organic matter in garbage can residue to form chlorinated byproducts including chloramines and trihalomethanes.
Both compounds are persistent in the environment and toxic to aquatic life. When bleach-containing rinse water flows off a driveway, it eventually reaches the storm drain. And when they eventually reach the local waterways, they can damage the gills, skin, and organs of fish and amphibians, and disrupt reproduction even at low concentrations.
The Wastewater Problem
Waterloo Region operates a two-sewer system. The sanitary sewer collects wastewater from inside homes and carries it to treatment plants. The storm sewer is an entirely separate system that collects surface runoff from driveways, roads, and yards. Storm sewer water is not treated and it flows directly to local waterways.
The Region states this explicitly: only rain should go down a storm drain. The large amount of water that flows off a driveway in Kitchener or Cambridge after a standard hose garbage can rinse carries bacteria, food residue, organic matter, fats, and whatever cleaning products were used, directly into the nearest storm drain and ultimately into local waterways including the Grand River. Approximately 20 to 25 percent of Waterloo Region’s drinking water comes from the Grand River.
Region of Waterloo Sewer Use By-law 21-036 prohibits the discharge of matter that may become a health or safety hazard. The Region’s own protecting water page states directly that discharging chemicals to storm sewers or a waterway is considered an environmental spill and those responsible can be held accountable.
A standard five-minute garden hose rinse can send approximately 95 to 190 litres of contaminated water into the storm drain in a single session. Most people do it unintentially, and most people have no idea where the water goes because this education isn’t often clear. It’s a reason why the DIY approach, even when done with good intentions, has a downstream consequence that a closed-loop professional system avoids entirely.
How Professional Garbage Can Cleaning Works
Professional garbage can cleaning addresses the three things that household cleaning cannot: temperature above the bacterial kill threshold, mechanical pressure sufficient to disrupt biofilm, and contained wastewater disposal.
The Hot Water System
The cleaning truck heats water to between 88°C and 93°C before it contacts the interior of the can. This exceeds the 65°C bacterial kill threshold by more than 20°C. At this temperature, the proteins bacteria need to function and reproduce are destroyed. The pathogens documented in dirty garbage can environments, including E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are killed.
High-temperature water also disrupts biofilm in a way that cold or warm water cannot. The heat denatures the proteins and polysaccharides that hold the biofilm structure together, and the high-pressure delivery physically removes the disrupted biofilm from the surface. The result is not just a visually clean can. It is a sanitized one.
There is an important distinction between these three outcomes.
- Cleaning refers to the physical removal of visible debris.
- Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces through chemical or thermal action.
- Sanitizing achieves a defined level of bacterial reduction, typically 99.9% or greater.
A garden hose and dish soap clean a garbage can in the visual sense. They do not disinfect it. The bacteria are physically moved rather than killed, and the biofilm layer is left intact and ready to repopulate the interior once new waste is introduced.
The Closed-Loop Water System
Our professional garbage can cleaning trucks uses a closed-loop water system which allows us to capture the majority of the wastewater generated during the cleaning process. This drastically reduces the possibility of mess on the curb or driveway, and runoff entry into the storm drain. The captured wash water is filtered through a multi-stage system, heated, cleaned, and recycled for use on subsequent cans on the same route. The remaining wastewater that cannot be recycled is managed through proper disposal at licensed facilities and filters on the truck capture solid debris.
This is the part of the service that makes it genuinely different from a pressure washer on a trailer. The wastewater from garbage can cleaning contains bacteria, fats, oils, and organic matter. Handling it properly requires equipment designed for that purpose.
The Service Itself
On a customer’s garbage collection day, the crew cleans the cans curbside. Residents do not need to be home. The cans just need to be at the curb and we’ll get to them once your regular waste collection truck passes. Both the black garbage can and the green organics can are cleaned on every visit. The cans are washed, sanitized, and deodorized and left neatly for you to put back in your garage or on the side of your house.
Customers who sign up for monthly service get this done automatically. There is nothing to arrange, nothing to remember, and no coordination required after your signup.
We Clean Garbage Cans began operating in March 2026, serving Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo from day one of the Region’s cart rollout. In addition to residential customers, we also serve commercial customers including restaurants, property managers, and multi-residential buildings. Commercial customers are encouraged to reach out to us directly to discuss their needs.
What It Costs
Monthly residential service is $20 per month. Both cans are included in that price. There are no setup fees and no contracts. Cancellation is available anytime with more than four days notice before the next billing date.
A one-time residential clean is available at $30 for customers who prefer a single visit rather than ongoing service.
The service is built around convenience. You can sign up online or by phone. Once confirmed, you are added to your neighborhood’s route and the service runs automatically every month.
Giving Back
We Clean Garbage Cans is a local company and it’s been important from us, from day one, to operate in a positive, meaninful, local way. Giving back to the communities the service operates in is built into the business model as a core commitment from the first penny earned.
Every city served gets its own local giving commitment, with donations going to organizations chosen for direct community impact. You can learn more about this commitment on our giving page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should garbage cans be cleaned?
Monthly cleaning is the standard for most households. At this frequency, each clean is relatively quick because the contamination has not had time to compound into heavy buildup. Cans that have never been professionally cleaned or that have gone several months between cleanings take longer and may need more thorough treatment on the first visit.
Does anyone need to be home during the cleaning?
No. The cans are cleaned curbside on collection day. As long as the cans are at the curb when the crew arrives, the service is completed without any involvement from the homeowner.
What if garbage day falls on a holiday?
The adjusted municipal collection schedule is followed. If the Region moves a pickup due to a holiday, the cleaning service adjusts accordingly and customers are notified. However, the Region has planned the calendar for the year and pre-published those calendars. You can review the collection calendar for your area here.
Does professional cleaning damage the new Region-issued cans?
No. The new black and green cans are made of high-density polyethylene, a durable plastic designed for outdoor use and repeated handling. The cleaning process is used on these cans regularly without causing damage.
Will professional cleaning fix a can that already has a serious odour problem?
Yes, though a can with heavy buildup or established mold growth may require more time and effort on the first visit than a regularly maintained one. The hot water and pressure will address the bacteria and biofilm that are the source of the odour. After the first professional clean, monthly maintenance keeps the problem from returning.
Is the service available for both the black garbage can and the green organics can?
Yes, both cans are included on every visit. The green organics can often develops odour problems faster than the black can because it receives food scraps every week and the sealed lid creates warm, moist interior conditions. Cleaning both at the same time is the practical approach.
Is the service eco-friendly?
The closed-loop water system means no contaminated wastewater is discharged onto the property or into the storm drain. It was important to us as a company to use the best available systems. Additionally our cleaning and deodorizing products are biodegradeable. More detail on the environmental approach is on the eco-friendly page.
Service Areas
We Clean Garbage Cans currently operates in Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo. All three cities are live and accepting new customers.
Ready for Clean Garbage Cans
Monthly service starts at $20. Both garbage cans, no contracts.
Sign up online or call 226-338-3870.
This page was last updated on: April 23, 2026