Toronto’s Biidaasige Park Delivers Smart Waste Infrastructure

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When the City of Toronto opened Biidaasige Park, it was delivering one of its most significant new public parks in decades. At more than 40 hectares, the site combines major public-realm investment with a re-naturalized river system that also forms part of critical flood protection infrastructure.

As part of a pilot exploring new approaches to solid waste management in the park, the City selected a number of metroSTOR RC trash and recycling enclosures for installation. In a setting like Biidaasige, the requirement was not simply to add waste capacity. The infrastructure also needed to be accessible, practical to service, and well suited to a prominent public environment.

Maximising volume while keep servicing simple

A key advantage of the RC unit in this application is its ability to accommodate 96-gallon carts. That gives the City a higher-capacity public waste solution while still allowing for safe and efficient servicing.

For a large destination park, public bins need enough volume to handle steady use, but they also need to work for operations staff day after day. By using standard carts inside an enclosed structure, the unit offers a practical balance between capacity and easier handling during collection.

Accessible and protected from misuse

The RC unit also supports disability access requirements, helping the City provide an option that is usable for a wide range of park visitors without defaulting to a less controlled format.

That balance is especially important in a major civic park. Waste infrastructure has to feel intuitive and easy to use, while still supporting cleaner day-to-day conditions and a more orderly public setting.

An internal baffle helps discourage can-diving

Another reason the product suited this pilot is the deposit opening design. The RC unit uses a unique internal baffle to help limit access to material after it has been deposited.

In a visible public-space setting, that helps support a tidier appearance and a more controlled waste stream. It also addresses one of the common problems associated with conventional open-bin formats.

Early response has been positive

As Dave O’Hara, Manager, Park Design | Parks Planning & Strategic Initiatives, put it:

“The metroSTOR product is performing well and has been well-received by the public.”

That matters because in a project as visible as Biidaasige Park, waste infrastructure has to succeed on more than one level. It needs to function operationally, meet public-use requirements, and fit the overall standard of the space. Early positive feedback suggests the pilot is doing exactly that.

Why this matters for other cities

The Biidaasige Park pilot shows that in major parks and other high-profile public spaces, waste infrastructure should not be treated as an afterthought. Higher capacity alone is not enough. The better solution is one that also supports safe servicing, accessible public use, and stronger control over how material is deposited and accessed.

For municipalities planning prominent parks, waterfronts, trails, and civic destinations, Biidaasige offers a useful example of how a more contained public-space format can better match the operational and design demands of the site.

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See how the metroSTOR RC and RCF Systems have been used in public-facing and high-footfall environments where direct deposit, durability, and controlled participation need to work together. View all projects