Once the old floor is up, the City of Toronto treats each part of the pile differently. Carpet and underpad can go to the curb on garbage day if they are rolled and tied to size. Lumber and tile are on the City's renovation waste list, which is not picked up at the curb: that material goes to a City Drop-Off Depot, where you pay by weight, or to a private company. Laminate and vinyl plank are not named on those lists, so the City's Waste Wizard is the place to check them. The third route is to leave the old floor on your installation quote, where our removal lines for click laminate and carpet carry the note "Remove and dispose". This page covers that one step, where the material goes, using the City's own pages and the removal lines that sit alongside our flooring installation services.
The short answer: where each old floor goes in Toronto
Here is what the City's curbside and depot pages say about each tear-out material, next to what our quote does with it.
| Old material | Curbside pickup | City Drop-Off Depot | On our removal quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet and underpad | Yes, as an oversized item: rolled, cut and tied into bundles no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 20 kilograms | Not named on the depot list | Carpet line at $0.70 per sq ft (house), with the note "Remove and dispose" |
| Click laminate | Not named; renovation waste is not collected at the curb | Not named; renovation waste is accepted for a fee, so check Waste Wizard | Laminate click line, $1.30 per sq ft in a house, noted "Remove and dispose" |
| Solid hardwood, engineered, vinyl plank | Lumber is on the City's list of renovation waste kept off the curb | Lumber accepted at 4 feet maximum; other flooring not named | Separate removal lines, listed in our removal cost post |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile | Not collected (tiles are listed as renovation waste) | Tiles accepted, fees apply | Confirm at quote |
| Baseboards | Not collected (listed as renovation waste) | Baseboards accepted, fees apply | Confirm at quote |
The City says its depot lists "are not comprehensive" and points residents to its Waste Wizard search for anything unnamed. Laminate, vinyl plank and hardwood flooring are not named on the City's accepted-items page, so check your exact material in Waste Wizard first.
Carpet and underpad: the curbside route
Carpet is the one flooring material with a clear household route. The City's oversized-items page has a heading for carpets and underpads, and the set-out rules are short: roll, cut and tie the carpet into bundles, and keep each bundle to 4 feet long and 20 kilograms (44 pounds) or less. Bundles go beside your garbage bin on your regular collection day.
In practice that means cutting a room-sized carpet into strips before rolling it, and the same limits apply to underpad. The pickup is paid for through an annual oversized-items fee that the City charges each house and multi-residential unit, whether or not the service is used.
Recycling is not the route the City describes for carpet. Its recycling page lists carpets as not accepted in the Blue Bins it still runs, and since January 1, 2026 residential recycling has been collected by Circular Materials rather than the City.
Laminate, vinyl plank and hardwood: taking it to a Drop-Off Depot
The City's curbside page lists construction, demolition and renovation waste (baseboards, lumber and tiles among them) under items it will not collect, and tells residents to take these items to a Drop-Off Depot or find a private company to dispose of the material. According to the City, it operates seven transfer stations with Drop-Off Depots, and it asks you to check which items each location accepts.
What the depot list actually names
The renovation waste list on the depot page includes baseboards, doors, lumber (4 feet maximum), plaster and tiles, and fees apply to renovation waste. Flooring is not named. For solid hardwood, the closest listed item is lumber, so the 4 feet maximum is the limit to plan around: cut boards to that length or shorter before you load them.
What a depot visit costs
Every load needs a deposit of at least $40, paid by cash, debit or credit card, before you unload. The final bill is set by weight. Garbage and renovation waste is charged at $189.86 per tonne, with a $19 minimum fee that covers the first 100 kg. The City's own worked example is 205 kg of garbage for $38.92. Scales weigh in five-kilogram increments. Your floor's weight is unknown until it is on the scale, so treat that example as a sense of scale only. The current rates are on the City's depot fee page.
Rules at the scale
- You need a safe motorized vehicle; walk-ins and bicycles are turned away.
- Loads must arrive covered by a tarp or an acceptable alternative, and be secured.
- You unload the material yourself in the area staff direct you to.
- Mixed loads of garbage and recycling are refused, so keep flooring boxes and packaging out of the tear-out load.
What changed in 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, the depots only take recycling from commercial properties, charities, institutions, religious organizations and City bodies. Homeowners recycle through curbside collection instead, so the depot run is for the old floor itself, and recyclable packaging from the new floor goes out at the curb.
What "Remove and dispose" means on our removal lines
If you would rather not cut, bundle and haul anything, put the old floor on your installation quote. Both lines below carry the note "Remove and dispose" on our rate sheet, so taking the material away is part of the line:
- Click laminate removal: $1.30 per sq ft for a house or basement, $1.60 per sq ft in a condo.
- Carpet removal: $0.70 per sq ft in a house or basement, $1.00 per sq ft in a condo.
Removal is charged on the area of floor coming out, with no waste allowance added. A 500 sq ft click laminate floor in a house works out to 500 x $1.30 = $650.00, or $734.50 with 13% HST. Two bedrooms totalling 300 sq ft of carpet come to 300 x $0.70 = $210.00, or $237.30 with HST.
Some things are not on either line. Glued-down flooring and tile have no published removal rate yet, so they are confirm at quote. A rented bin or any other disposal cost outside these two lines is also confirm at quote. For every removal rate by floor type and building, including nailed hardwood and click vinyl, see our full removal rate list by floor type and building; installation rates are in our guide to installation rates for every floor type.
Doing the tear-out yourself or leaving it on the quote
A simple way to decide is to match the material to the route the City offers for it:
- One or two carpeted rooms and a spare afternoon: pulling it yourself and using curbside pickup is realistic, as long as you cut bundles to the size limits.
- A main floor of laminate or hardwood: you need a vehicle, a tarp, a deposit and time at the depot, plus the weight fee. Compare that with the removal line before you commit.
- Tile or anything glued down: the depot takes tiles for a fee, but adhesive and thinset make the tear-out itself the hard part. Ask for it to be priced on your quote.
With the old floor gone, look at the bare subfloor next; our guide to the signs a subfloor needs replacing covers what to check. Still planning? See where tear-out sits in a renovation timeline, so the disposal day lines up with delivery and installation.
The floor that goes down next: three in-stock options
These three click-lock floors are in stock. Price per square foot is the box price divided by the box coverage.
| Floor | Type and spec | Box price and coverage | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Blonde Sand Oak SPC | SPC vinyl plank, 6mm, attached IXPE pad, 12mil wear layer, 7.09" wide | $62.93 per 23.64 sq ft box | $2.66 |
| Krono K6207 laminate | Laminate, AC3, 12mm x 5", made in Germany | $23.00 per 13.61 sq ft box | $1.69 |
| Egger EM7206 laminate | Laminate, AC3, 8mm x 7.60", made in Germany | $40.48 per 21.42 sq ft box | $1.89 |
Prices checked October 6, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
Riche Blonde Sand Oak 6mm SPC
If you want a plank listed as waterproof where carpet or laminate used to be, this SPC is one option. The pad is already attached to the plank, so there is no separate underlay to buy. At $2.66 per sq ft it costs more per square foot than the two laminates below.
Krono K6207 12mm laminate
Swapping laminate for laminate keeps the job simple. The Krono K6207 is a thick 12mm board in a narrow 5" width with a warm, honey-toned oak look, and at $1.69 per sq ft it sits below the other two.
Egger EM7206 8mm laminate
For a wider board, the Egger EM7206 runs 7.60" wide at 8mm thick, with a reddish-brown wood grain. Its larger boxes cover 21.42 sq ft each, so a room needs fewer boxes than with the Krono, at $1.89 per sq ft.
Questions about getting rid of old flooring in Toronto
Can old carpet be recycled in Toronto?
The City's pages do not offer a recycling route for it. Carpets appear on the not-accepted list for the Blue Bins the City still runs, and the household option the City describes is oversized pickup at the curb, with the carpet rolled and tied into bundles within the size and weight limits.
Can I put old laminate flooring out with my garbage?
The City does not collect renovation waste at the curb, and its curbside page sends lumber, baseboards and tiles to a Drop-Off Depot or a private company. Laminate is not named on those lists, so search Waste Wizard for it before you set anything out.
Will the installer take my old floor away?
On our quotes, the click laminate and carpet removal lines are noted "Remove and dispose", so the old material leaves with that line. Glued floors, tile and any extra haul-away are confirmed at quote.
How much does a Toronto Drop-Off Depot charge for renovation waste?
It charges by weight at the garbage and renovation rate, with a minimum fee for the first 100 kg and a deposit of at least $40 before you unload. Check the City's fee page before you go, since the City sets and can change the rates.
How do I dispose of old hardwood flooring in Toronto?
Hardwood flooring is not named on the City's lists, but lumber is: depots take it at up to 4 feet long, as renovation waste with a weight fee, and it is not collected at the curb. Confirm the item in Waste Wizard first, or have the floor taken out as part of a quote.
Get a removal and installation quote in Toronto and the GTA
Tell us what is on the floor now, the square footage and what you want to put down, and we will show removal and installation side by side. You can request a removal and installation quote online.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819