Household hazardous waste
Take your household hazardous waste to one of Peel's Community Recycling Centres (CRC's) for free, safe disposal.
Remember:
- Do not dispose of household hazardous waste in your garbage or recycling. Hazardous waste is never collected at the curb.
- Never pour motor oil, paints, solvents, or unwanted cleaners down the drain or sewer.
The following items are a sample of acceptable household hazardous waste. Liquid items have a maximum 80 L (20 gal) drop-off limit per day. The maximum container size is 30 L (8 gal).
All waste must be clearly labelled and in sealed containers. Keep containers upright to prevent leaks and spills.
Do not mix different products together.
Sharps must be in an approved sharps container.
- Paints and stains (full or partially full cans)
- Batteries (all types)
- Fuels, solvents, adhesives
- Automotive fluids
- Oil filters
- Fertilizers and pesticides
- Aerosol cans
- Household cleaners and detergents
- Powdered cement and grout
- Pool chemicals
- Sharps (syringes, needles, lancets)
- Medications
- Cooking oil
- Fluorescent tube lamps, incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (removed from fixtures, maximum 40 bulbs per day)
- Fluorescent lamp ballasts (removed from fixtures)
- Mercury thermometers/thermostats
- Propane and helium cylinders (limit of 5 per day, 18 kg (40 lbs) maximum size)
Unacceptable items
The following items are not considered household hazardous waste. Follow the instructions to dispose of these items.
Contact a qualified, licensed professional to dispose of the following items:
- Asbestos
- Radioactive waste
- PCB contaminated waste
To dispose of firearms, explosives and ammunition, contact Peel Police.
Flares and fireworks can be soaked in water for 24 hours, with care taken to fully submerge the items. Once the items are fully saturated, place them in a bag and dispose of them in your regular garbage.
Home medical waste (not including sharps) can be double bagged and disposed of in your regular garbage. Double bagged home medical waste (not including sharps) can also be disposed of at CRCs for a fee.
Sharps program
Never dispose of needles, syringes and lancets (sharps) in your garbage, recycling or organics.
Pick up a free biohazard container from the household hazardous waste drop-off location at any Peel Community Recycling Centre (CRC).
Put discarded sharps in the biohazard container, then bring the container to a Peel CRC for free, safe disposal. CRCs only accept used sharps in biohazard containers. Do not bring your sharps to a CRC in anything but a biohazard container. This service is for residents only, not businesses.
Mercury
Many older household items may contain mercury.
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal and can impact the health of the environment. By bringing this item to a Peel Community Recycling Centre (CRC) you can help reduce the amount of mercury in the environment.
Exposure to mercury can also cause serious health problems. For safety reasons, do not attempt to remove mercury yourself.
Peel Community Recycling Centres provide safe disposal for business hazardous waste. This service is only for businesses in Peel that are required to dispose of hazardous waste.
Owners of these types of businesses must apply for this service.