How To Safely Dispose Of Your Hazardous Items

Disposing of hazardous items without exercising due caution can be dangerous to both people and the environment. Proper disposal prevents chemicals from entering into the sewage system and polluting the soil, water and air that everyone relies on for life. Some examples of hazardous items are cleaning products, air fresheners, disinfectants, laundry starch, polishes, paint thinners and batteries. When disposing of hazardous items, keep these precautionary measures in mind.

Keep Them Separate

When disposing of hazardous items, keep them in separate bins and have them clearly labelled as such. You can employ special containers for hazardous waste. Once you have gathered up enough products, take them to the nearest depot. Ontario has a comprehensive program for getting rid of hazardous items. Call the city to find out where the nearest facility to you is. Be sure to keep the lids of containers tightly closed to prevent leakage.

Give Them Away

If you no longer need a hazardous product before it is finished then try giving it away before you dispose of it. Other people might have a use for it. You can give them to relatives, charities or friends. Often people only need a small amount of these items, and passing them along helps prevent more hazardous chemicals from entering the environment.

Options for Disposal

In the City of Toronto there are many options for disposing of hazardous household waste. You can take your waste to the Orange Drop, which is a public facility for collecting hazardous waste. On selected days the city will pick up hazardous waste free of charge. There are also special community days dedicated to the environment and you can drop off your hazardous waste at specified sites. If you have medication and needles to dispose of, you can drop them off at pharmacies.

Waste Management for Businesses

If you own a business, you should rethink your business processes so as to minimize the amount of hazardous waste items you create. How efficient is your process? Are your employees trained in proper waste disposal?

Proper waste disposal has important implications for the environment and people. There is a good chance that your local city will have some sort of program for waste disposal of hazardous items so check their website or give them a call for details. One way to make things easier for waste disposal is to have properly labelled bins. This is certainly one area where we can help, because we have a variety of bins for your use. For more information on how you can rent them just give us a call or visit our website.