Now is the time for Whitehorse residents to begin gathering up those empty propane cylinders, expired bear spray canisters and other hazardous waste around the house or garage as the City of Whitehorse and Yukon government get set for the next Household Hazardous Waste day at the landfill from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 10.
The two governments host a couple of household hazardous waste events each year - typically in the spring and fall - allowing residents to bring their hazardous waste to the Whitehorse landfill off the Alaska Highway south of the Porter Creek neighbourhood.
As the city states on its website: “Proper disposal is important to ensure these materials don’t end up polluting the air we breath or the water we drink. You wouldn’t pour these items onto the ground, so why put them in your garbage? Placing these items into the (general waste) landfill has the potential to cause harmful effects to human and environmental health.”
The household hazardous waste can be taken to the landfill on specified days - Sept. 10 in this case - where the waste will be collected and disposed of properly.
Among the items labelled as household hazardous waste are aerosols and empty aerosol containers, antifreeze and brake fluid, cleaning chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, fluorescent light ballasts manufactured before 1980, gasoline, propane, solvents and waste oil, herbicides and pesticides, alkaline and rechargeable batteries, vehicle batteries, stains and oil paint products, and other products labeled as corrosive, toxic, reactive, explosive, oxidizing, poisonous, infectious or flammable.
Those planning to bring their hazardous waste up to the landfill for household hazardous waste day are reminded not to transport fluid in open buckets or to mix fluids; to tape the end of rechargeable batteries per transportation safety regulations, not to break fluorescent bulbs; to keep items in original packaging so its easily identifiable; and make sure paint thinners, stains and cleaners are disposed of as hazardous waste.
Latex paint cans can be left open, dried and disposed of with regular garbage waste.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com