What it costs
Yard cleanup runs $25–$60 per visit, typically near $45. Price depends on yard size, how many dogs, and crucially how long it has been. A weekly yard and a yard left since autumn are different jobs.
How often
- Weekly: The usual choice for one or two dogs with a yard in regular use.
- Twice weekly: Worth it for multiple large dogs, or a small yard where there is nowhere to avoid.
- One off: Before hosting, before listing a property, or after a stretch away.
- Spring cleanup: A category of its own.
Why spring is different
In most of Canada a winter's waste is not gone, it is frozen under snow. When it thaws it arrives all at once, softened and spread through the grass. A spring cleanup takes considerably longer than a routine visit and is usually quoted accordingly. Booking it early, before the lawn starts growing over the problem, makes it a smaller job.
Why it is worth doing properly
- Several parasites, including roundworm, persist in soil long after the waste is gone.
- It burns lawn, leaving patches that outlast the mess.
- Runoff into storm drains is a genuine water quality problem in dense neighbourhoods.
- Most Ontario municipalities require owners to remove waste, including from their own property in some bylaws.
Agree the details
Confirm whether waste is bagged and taken away or left in your bin, whether the whole yard is covered or only the lawn, and what happens if snow or long grass makes a full clean impossible. A provider who tells you plainly that they could not get everything under deep snow is being straight with you.
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