Handling Hazardous Waste
If you are in need of rubbish removal within Vancouver, chances are, you want every single unwanted trash to be taken by the garbage removal company. While it is understandable that you would want everything to be taken care of by the junk removal firm, most of these businesses have certain restrictions set by the government on rubbish removal in Vancouver area.
Most junk removal firms are not permitted by law to collect hazardous waste from either commercial or residential area. Hazardous waste is the type of garbage which you can’t just mix with other kinds of junk in the landfill area. These are harmful items, and objects containing harmful or poisonous elements that can cause harm to people, animals, or the environment if not handled the proper way.
There are various kinds of hazardous wastes you can easily find within your household. Here are some examples of items considered as hazardous waste:
- Batteries
- Light bulbs and/or fluorescent lights
- Used medical items (needles, syringe, surgical gloves, and so on)
- Unwanted, expired, or unused drugs
- Explosives and/or ammunition
- Bullets
- Firearms
- Oil
- Paint
- Solvent
- Pesticide
- Fertilizer
- Aerosol containers
- Disinfectant
- Some appliances such as refrigerators or freezers
- These are just some of the most common items that are considered hazardous. Yes, there are some waste disposal companies who can handle these hazardous wastes for you, but there are times you must ensure proper disposal of these kinds of waste yourself.
The local government usually has established depots for hazardous waste where you can drop off and deposit these items. However, most of the time, not all kinds of wastes are accepted in just one depot. For an instance, there are depots accepting chemical waste such as cleaning materials but would not accept refrigerators. The best way to find out which specific depot would accept a particular kind of hazardous waste is to give your local government a call.
Alternatively, if you are looking to get rid of some unused chemical items regarded as hazardous waste (e.g. disinfectant), you can donate these items to people you know who may put these items into use.
