Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Events
On September 19, 2020 and September 18, 2021, the City of Maple Ridge, working with Ridge Meadows Recycling Society and Terrapure, hosted household hazardous waste drop-off days for residents.
Household hazardous waste (HHW) is defined as leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, flammable, or reactive compounds. Municipal sewage systems and private septic systems do not filter or remove these compounds and burying them can lead to groundwater contamination. Residents of Maple Ridge had to register online to bring in household quantities of HHW. Terrapure, a specialized waste management company, was on site to sort, test, and safely dispose of any materials residents bring in.
From the 2020 HHW Media Release: “Many residents have half-full bottles of old, outdated, or unmarked liquids, cleaners, or chemicals they may have inherited from former tenants or relatives,” says Maple Ridge Mayor Michael Morden, “Some of these may have been hiding in the back of a cupboard or garage for 20 or 40 years. This event is a rare opportunity for Maple Ridge residents to bring in those ‘mystery’ jars and dispose of them safely.”
Items accepted for drop-off at the event included oven & toilet cleaners, bleach, brake fluid, concentrated acids, herbicides, liquid car wax, lye, swimming pool chemicals, mothballs, rust removers, wood preservatives, nail polish remover, furniture polish, darkroom chemicals, rubber or plastic cement, roofing tar, charcoal briquettes, perm/hair dye solutions, adhesives, resins, caulking, and more. The materials needed to be in a leak-proof container or bag and while ideally they had a clear, readable identifying label, they were accepted without one. Prohibited materials at the event included explosives (ammunition, fireworks, road & marine flares), radioactives, biohazardous materials, and sharps (needles).
“There are so many items already accepted for free drop-off at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot (located at 10092 – 236th Street),” Sandy Sigmund, President of Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, reminds us, “Paint, electronics, light bulbs, batteries, appliances, motor oil, antifreeze, clothing & textiles, scrap metal, & Styrofoam are all accepted at the Recycling Depot every day of the week.”
Residents were encouraged to drop off all other recyclables ahead of time and ONLY bring HHW to the drop-off event.
Here are the results from both drop-off days:
Maple Ridge 2020 HHW Report from Terrapure
Maple Ridge 2021 HHW Report from Terrapure
We look forward to these items being collected as part of an Extended Producer Responsibility program in the future.
