Do I need a permit to place a dumpster in Montreal West?
Not in your driveway or on your lot. We word it carefully, because the conclusion comes from an absence of provision: the four by-laws where such a requirement would live — permits 2009-011, construction 2009-010, zoning 2020-002, nuisances 456 — do not subject a dumpster on private property to a permit, and searching the municipal site for « conteneur » returns no page. On the street, the sidewalk or a lane, it is the opposite, and the town spells it out in its own form: « This permit is required in any situation where you temporarily occupy the public domain (e.g. a dumpster on the street, a street closure, etc.) ». In doubt about your case? Town hall, 514 481-8125.
Can I have the dumpster placed on the street in front of my house?
Only with a temporary public domain occupation permit — and only if your lot cannot take it: the construction by-law authorizes occupying the public domain during work only « if this cannot be done on private property » (2009-010, s. 2.5.3). The application is made exclusively online, requires a signalling plan signed by an engineer, and the town has up to 30 days to issue the permit once the file is complete; fees are not refundable, even if the permit is refused, and the cost is only communicated once the application is approved. A job site that might need the street therefore starts a month ahead. Our first reflex remains the driveway: that is where we deliver whenever possible.
My driveway is shared with the neighbour's: is that a problem?
It is a question we ask ourselves when you book, because it is specific to Montreal West: the zoning by-law recognizes shared driveways and parking areas, where one or both neighbours « need a portion of the neighbouring lot » to park or get the car out of the garage (s. 4.6.1.1). A dumpster set down in the wrong spot can therefore block the neighbour's garage, not just yours. With a driveway capped at 3.5 m at the curb cut, the spot gets chosen ahead — and remember that a 10 yard takes the same footprint as a 20 yard: it is simply lower, it frees no room.
Why do your drivers look at the trees before choosing the spot?
Because Montreal West describes itself as a garden suburb with a mature canopy, and it wrote that into a by-law. By-law 2016-001 requires, during construction or landscaping work, protecting any tree at risk of damage — including trees on neighbouring properties: a fence at least 1.2 m high, on a perimeter of 1.5 m (trunk under 15 cm in diameter), 2 m (15 to 29 cm) or 2.5 m (over 30 cm), and « the temporary deposit or storage of materials of all kinds », waste included, happens outside that fence. The fine can reach 1,000 $, 2,000 $ for a corporation, double for repeat offences. Our drivers choose the spot accordingly — and tell you when you book.
Can the ecocentre replace a dumpster?
There is no ecocentre in Montreal West: the town points its residents to the two closest, Côte-des-Neiges (6925 chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges) and LaSalle (7272 rue Saint-Patrick). For a car trunk it is excellent: 12 m³ of construction debris per year at no charge, then 31 $ per m³. But everything is unloaded by hand — « ecocentre staff do not help with unloading », no dump trailer —, vehicle size is capped at 11 m trailer included, and Côte-des-Neiges limits visits to 15 per year; visits are unlimited only at LaSalle and Saint-Laurent. The arithmetic is quick: a 10 yard holds 7.6 m³, a 20 yard 15.3 m³ — more than the free annual quota on its own — and a 40 yard 30.6 m³.
What about the debris the municipal collection refuses?
Montreal West's collection — Wednesdays from 7 a.m. for garbage — refuses by name « construction materials and residue from demolition or any renovation » as well as « earth, sand, stone, rock, asphalt, cement » (by-law 2009-013, s. 7). Since May 1, 2024, a single-family house is entitled to one 240 litre bin — about 0.31 cubic yards — and bags beside the bin are prohibited. What remains is the paid special collection: bags of 35 lb at most carried to the curb by the resident, a cost assessed on site and paid in advance, earth and rocks refused, and the town keeps the right to refuse. Perfect for a toilet and two bags. Beyond that, the by-law itself shows the way: construction waste is « placed in an adequate container on the job site as the work progresses » (s. 37).
Will the dumpster damage my driveway?
The worry is legitimate in a town where 73.5% of the houses date from 1960 or earlier and whose urban plan praises old housing of rich architectural quality. Every one of our dumpsters is delivered with the PROTEC-O-SOL system — built-in planks that spread the load and protect the surface. Nothing to supply, nothing extra to pay. In a driveway capped at 3.5 m at the curb cut, the spot gets chosen ahead, and our drivers' tip holds everywhere: lay four flattened cardboard boxes, or a thin sheet of plywood, on the chosen spot before the truck arrives.
