Here’s how you can safely dispose of your household hazardous waste in Ottawa

Household hazardous waste. (Getty)

Ottawa residents will have several opportunities to safely dispose of their household hazardous waste this year.

The City of Ottawa is hosting nine household hazardous waste drop-off events, with the first one on Sunday at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium on Coventry Road.

“Every year, the City of Ottawa hosts drop-off events to ensure that resident’s hazardous waste is safely collected, transported, and appropriately recycled or disposed of,” Shelley McDonald, director of solid waste services, said in a memo to council. “This helps to protect the environment and decreases the risk of toxic materials ending up in our collection vehicles or landfills.”

Last year, approximately 515 tonnes of household hazardous waste was dropped off at the city’s events, keeping the hazardous items out of the landfill.

Here is the schedule for the household hazardous waste depots:

• Sunday, April 27: Ottawa Baseball Stadium on Coventry Road
• Saturday, May 24: Rideau Carleton Casino on Albion Road
• Sunday, June 22: Trail Waste Facility on Trail Road
• Saturday, July 26: Canadian Tire Centre
• Saturday, Aug. 9: Innes Snow Dump Facility on Mer Bleu Road
• Sunday, Sept. 7: Tunney’s Pasture
• Saturday, Sept. 27: Conroy Snow Dump Facility on Conroy Road
• Saturday, Oct. 18: Strandherd Snow Dump Facility on Philsar Road
• Saturday, Nov. 1: Westbrook Snow Dump Facility on Westbrook Road

Household hazardous waste is corrosive, flammable or poisonous.

“These types of products contaminate water and landfills and should never be poured down the drain or put out with your regular garbage,” the city says on its website.

Household hazardous waste materials that can be dropped off include:

• Aerosol containers
• Propane cylinders
• Disinfectants
• Fluorescent bulbs/tubes
• Fire extinguishers
• Fertilizers and pesticides
• Mercury switches/thermometers
• Motor oil
• Needles and syringes
• Oil filters
• Pharmaceuticals
• Paints and coatings
• Oven and window cleaners
• Pool chemicals
• Gasoline
• Perfume and aftershave

The City of Ottawa offers advice if you have the following items:

• Empty paint cans can be disposed of in your blue bin
• Dried paint can go in the garbage
• Empty aerosol cans with an explosive hazard symbol can be disposed of in your blue bin
• Batteries can be disposed of at several locations. You can find a location here to bring back your batteries.