Dumping of garbage making a mess of parks, creeks and streets in Mississauga: city

Illegal dumping of household garbage and other items in parks and creeks continues to be a messy and expensive problem in Mississauga, say city officials who remind residents and businesses that offenders can be fined between $500 and $100,000.

City of Mississauga officials are raising the matter again this week, noting the municipality has received 195 complaints so far this year related to the illegal dumping of items that include car tires, paint cans, used furniture, construction waste, yard waste, propane tanks, household garbage and more.

The city received more than 580 similar reports in 2025 and well in excess of 2,000 complaints over the past few years.

“Illegal dumping happens when people leave unwanted items in public places instead of getting rid of it properly. This includes items discarded at parks, trails and green spaces,” officials said on Thursday.

3,500 hours spent cleaning up garbage

“It harms the environment, costs taxpayer money to clean up and can be dangerous for people and wildlife,” the city added, noting parks staff have spent some 3,500 hours the past three years cleaning up messes.

The aforementioned unwanted items, Mississauga officials note, top the list of goods most commonly disposed of in parks, trails, green spaces and along roadways and sidewalks by residents and businesses who are taking the easy — and illegal — way out when it comes to getting rid of their garbage.

Other items illegally tossed away include various household and food waste, clothes, pieces of wood, broken fixtures from kitchens or bathrooms, barbecues and other car parts besides tires, such as mufflers, officials say.

In yet other cases, construction waste like concrete, drywall, paint cans and tiles is often dumped on city property, and “some people also pour liquids like motor oil, cooking oil, cleaning products and medicines into storm drains,” city officials said. “This pollutes the stormwater system and Lake Ontario.”

The city adds that in addition to the financial cost of cleanups, the work also takes large numbers of staffers away from “other important seasonal duties.”

Popular parks for dumping garbage

While illegally dumped trash is being spotted at numerous locations across Canada’s seventh-largest city, Mississauga officials said on Thursday messes have most often been noticed this year at Glen Erin Trail, Lake Aquitaine Park, Malton Greenway, Tillsdown Park (Creditview/Britannia roads area) and Tom Chater Memorial Park in west Erin Mills

Other popular illegal dumping areas in recent years include Carolyn Creek, J.C. Saddington Park, Zonta Meadows and Mississauga Valley, the city said last fall.

Mississauga city councillors and senior staff at city hall have aggressively delivered messages to the public in recent years that illegal dumping must stop. Those messages include information on where residents and businesses can dispose of waste properly.

Fines for illegal dumping range from $500 to $100,000, residents and businesses have been reminded, but the city says enforcing its debris and anti-littering bylaw is difficult since offenders must be caught in the act or nabbed via other forms of proof/evidence.

Despite the potential for hefty fines, the problem is getting worse.

“Most people dump garbage illegally because it is easy. It can feel quicker than waiting for garbage pickup or going to a designated recycling centre,” the city said this week. “Some people think the city will clean it up. They do not realize how much time and money that takes. Others try to hide their garbage behind trees or in bushes, so they won’t get caught. Some others may not know how to dispose of waste the right way. When one person dumps waste, others may add more. This causes the problem to grow even faster.”

The city said earlier that cleaning up illegally dumped garbage costs the municipality more than $100,000 a year.

Visit the Peel Region website to learn how to properly dispose of waste.

(Photos: City of Mississauga)