Proper Disposal of Household Hazardous Wastes

The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Round-Ups organized by communities throughout Alberta give you the chance to clean your house of hazardous wastes.  Check your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, basement, utility/workshop, garden shed, and garage.

Find out when your local HHW Round-Up is scheduled then round up all the products you no longer need.  Everything collected at the HHW Round-Up is sorted, packed and labeled by qualified personnel.  The hazardous waste is then taken to the Swan Hills treatment Centre for safe treatment and disposal.

Should your community not be organizing a special Round-Up, look for events in nearby communities or ask at your local fire station. The cities of Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge, and numerous other communities, have permanent household hazardous waste drop-off facilities.  The City of Calgary accepts HHW at local fire stations.

Some Precautions

Keep all materials in their original containers.  If the container is cracked or broken, place it in a leak-proof package and label it.

If you find jars or cans of unidentified/unknown chemicals, take them to the collection site and tell a staff person that you don't know what's inside.

Any container printed with product warning symbols or precautions about use of the product or instructions on disposal of the container should be included.

Other Options

There are recycling options for some hazardous wastes, such as used oil, lead-acid batteries, ni-cad batteries, and propane tanks.

Check the Yellow Pages under Recycling for opportunities in your area, or contact Alberta's Recycle Information Line at 1-800-463-6326.