Don’t taint your waste with paint!
Paint and other hazardous household materials must be disposed of safely
Whether you’re working on a home renovation, opening your pool soon or spring cleaning, you may have extra materials to throw away. But not all items can go in the garbage, blue box and green bin – and that includes paint and other hazardous household waste you may be using for these projects.
Hazardous household waste is in every home and includes corrosive, flammable, explosive or poisonous items. Here are some examples:
- automotive fluids, such as motor oil
- batteries
- expired medications, including over-the-counter pharmaceuticals
- fluorescent light bulbs and tubes
- paint
- pool chemicals, such as chlorine
The City of Vaughan does not collect these items curbside. Hazardous materials must be disposed of at a York Region waste depot and never placed in the garbage or poured down the drain, toilet or outdoor sewer grate.
Metal and plastic paint cans that are completely empty and clean of paint, with the lids removed, can be placed in the blue box for curbside collection.
Waste sorting tools
When in doubt, use the City’s ‘What Goes Where?’ tool! It’s an online sorting program that allows you to search what waste bin an item belongs in. It also provides information on curbside collection requirements.
You can also download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play to help determine what goes where. The app also provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put at the curb each week.
To learn more about waste services in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/waste.
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