People are leaving household waste and construction debris throughout Mississauga, now City Hall wants to tackle it
Mississauga’s parks and creeks are becoming overrun with illegal dumping, as people leave mattresses, tires, motor oil and other waste throughout the City. Hundreds of residents have so far called in to complain about this phenomenon this year, with City Hall now recognizing something has to be done.
Just before the election, two new motions were adopted at City Council related to cleanliness and sanitation in parks, one sponsored by Councillor Natalie Hart to “explore opportunities to reduce litter and illegal dumping across Mississauga” and one by Councillor John Kovac to “establish a porta-potties in parks pilot program.”
Councillor Hart’s motion calls on city staff to suggest “educational, awareness and behaviour change initiatives to encourage responsible waste disposal and community stewardship.”
“In 2025 the city of Mississauga received over 580 reports of illegal dumping and staff spent 3500 hours cleaning up the mess.”
She also asked staff to identify and respond to recurring hotspots for illegal dumping. According to the city, these “hotspots” include Glen Erin Trail, Lake Aquitaine Park, Malton Greenway, Tillsdown Park and Tom Chater Memorial Park.
In addition to these green spaces, local creeks are also popular dumping grounds, with Carolyn Creek, JC Saddington Park, Zonta Meadows and Mississauga Valley especially hard hit.
The items most often dumped include household garbage, old furniture, especially mattresses, tires and construction or renovation debris.
The city also acknowledges an ongoing problem with individuals pouring liquids like motor oil, cooking oil, cleaning products and medicine into storm drains, polluting the stormwater system and the lake.
In 2025 the city of Mississauga received over 580 reports of illegal dumping and staff spent 3500 hours cleaning up the mess. Councillor Hart told council that she would like to see a public awareness campaign with a “positive tone.”
She said, “using humour and positivity can often attract a lot more attention than negativity.” She compared this future education campaign to the city’s “One Mississauga” anti racism public education campaign that ran on billboards and digital screens across the city last year.
Councillor Kovac’s motion called on the city to identify possible parks to run a seasonal porta-potty pilot program. He asked that staff study the cost, maintenance, accessibility safety and operational requirements and report back to council with their suggestions.
Councillor Kovac said putting in proper plumbed washrooms would be an “extremely high expense” and called the possibility of porta-potties, “one small step for council but a giant relief for the public.”
The motion was seconded by councillor Butt, who quipped “I thought it was highly appropriate with a last name like Butt that I should second this motion.”
Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton already run a porta-potty in parks program. Other councillors and the Mayor agreed that there was demand from the public for greater washroom accessibility in the city’s parks. “Let’s be the council that finally tackles this number one issue and the number two issue,” said Councillor Kovac.
