2025 Parks Summer Program

Parks Summer Waste Collection and Seasonal Maintenance Services

The City of Hamilton is proud to maintain vibrant, clean, and welcoming parks for all residents and visitors to enjoy. Through strategic planning and year-round maintenance, the City Parks team ensures that our green spaces remain beautiful, safe, and accessible.

Waste Collection Services in Parks

To help promote cleanliness and reduce litter, waste receptacles are strategically distributed throughout Hamilton’s parks and open spaces. These receptacles play a crucial role in encouraging responsible waste disposal and maintaining a welcoming environment for all.

The service operates on a seasonal cycle:

• Summer (May through October): Receptacle coverage is expanded to accommodate higher park usage, with a total of 2,017 receptacles maintained citywide.

• Winter (November through April): Coverage is scaled back to 1,347 receptacles, as certain areas become difficult to access due to snow and limited maintenance resources.

Each year, approximately 670 receptacles are adjusted to match seasonal needs. Flexibility remains a key focus, with receptacle placement shifting in response to community events, seasonal programming, or areas impacted by illegal dumping or vandalism.

Ground Litter Removal

Before any mowing or trimming takes place, Parks staff perform ground litter removal across all municipal parks. This essential work keeps turf areas, pathways, and general park spaces free from debris.

This task is primarily supported by seasonal summer students, with additional help from dedicated community volunteers. Their partnership plays a vital role in preserving the beauty of Hamilton’s parks and fostering a strong sense of community pride.

Spring Clean-Up

Each spring, Parks staff undertake a large-scale clean-up ahead of the mowing season:

• Focus areas include general parkland, and when possible, woodlots and naturalized areas.

• Work includes litter and debris removal, storm clean-up, and minor repair of winter damage.

• The clean-up usually spans four weeks, depending on park size, staffing, and weather.

Summer students typically begin their work in May, reinforcing staff capacity during this important preparation period.

Turf Management and Mowing Schedules

Healthy turf is critical not only for aesthetics but also as part of the City’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, reducing the need for chemical treatments.

Routine mowing and trimming follow a tiered maintenance schedule based on park type:

Key Notes:

• Mowing only begins once fields are dry enough to support equipment without causing turf damage.

• Parks are cut in a strategic, geographically efficient order.

• Temporary aesthetic impacts, like dandelion blooms, may occur but are necessary to maintain consistent service across the City.

Mowing operations are supported by sharing equipment and staff across districts to ensure service consistency, even in the event of breakdowns or special event needs.

Stewardship of Naturalized Areas

Hamilton’s natural open spaces and parkland buffers are carefully managed to promote native vegetation growth and ecological resilience. In these areas:

• Maintenance is limited to support biodiversity.

• Human interference is minimized to protect sensitive ecosystems.

• Native plants, pollinator habitats, and soil health are prioritized.

Educational signage is often installed to help residents understand the ecological importance of these areas, highlighting that what appears as unmanaged growth is in fact an intentional and vital ecological strategy.

This stewardship aligns with Hamilton’s broader climate resilience and biodiversity goals, ensuring a sustainable future for our green spaces.

Adapting to Seasonal Challenges

Despite careful planning, every season can bring unpredictable weather and equipment challenges. When necessary, temporary reductions in services — such as grass trimming around fences or park fixtures — may be implemented.

While these reductions may impact aesthetics briefly, they do not compromise the quality of park spaces or sports fields long-term and are quickly corrected once growth rates slow later in the season.