Which Items Are Considered Hazardous Household Waste?

By understanding which items around your home are considered hazardous to both the local and natural environments, you can make safer choices on product disposal.

There are many commonly used items within your home that contain toxic ingredients, and therefore should be disposed of carefully through the proper measures. The Toronto Public Health office has precise guidelines on household hazardous waste, and we’re outlining to how to recognize these products to ensure effective, safe, and green waste disposal.

The Categories of Household Hazardous Waste

In order to help you recognize household waste, the Toronto Public Health office has separated hazardous waste products into specific categories.

The four hazardous waste categories include:

1. Corrosive

This can include items such as car batteries and drain cleaners, which will injure the skin and eat away at material.

2. Flammable

Any item that can ignite quickly, such as lighter fluid, gasoline and turpentine is considered hazardous waste.

3. Explosive

The most common explosives are items such as deodorant aerosol containers, which can explode if incinerated or stored in temperatures above 50 Celsius.

4. Poisonous

Within this category is any product that could be poisonous or lethal, even within small quantities, to children, adults or animals. Products such as cleaning fluids, medicines and pesticides are included within this category.

Tips for Effective Disposal

While you may now know which items within your home are considered hazardous waste, it’s important to follow the most effective measures to ensure the products are disposed of effectively. The city of Toronto has numerous programs for responding to household hazardous waste. Here are a few tips for ensuring effective disposal:

• Never place hazardous waste within regular garbage

One of the most common mistakes is when homeowners place their hazardous materials within the garbage, blue bins or green bins. These programs are only designed to deal with non-hazardous waste.

• Contact your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) depot

The team at your local HHW depot can offer effective guidance on removal of hazardous products. They can detail the processes to follow to ensure the products don’t come into contact with other forms of waste.

• Visit a drop-off depot

There are also many drop-off depots across the city, where concerned residents can leave their hazardous waste products to ensure they are effectively removed from the environment.

By learning more about the types of materials in and around your home, you can become more aware of your role and your responsibilities in terms of effective hazardous waste disposal. Contact your local Household Hazardous Waste depot directly to learn more on effective hazard reduction in the home.