What are the rules for disposing of paint and chemical waste from construction in Ottawa?
What are the rules for disposing of paint and chemical waste from construction in Ottawa?
Paint and chemical waste from a renovation should not go in regular garbage or down a drain in Ottawa. Proper disposal protects your plumbing, the environment and the people who handle your waste, and the City has collection options for household quantities of these materials.
Handling Paint and Chemical Waste After Construction
Renovations leave several kinds of chemical waste. Leftover liquid paint — latex or oil-based — should go to the City's household hazardous waste collection rather than in the garbage; check the City for current depots and event dates. Ask the City whether fully dried latex paint can go in household garbage before you put any out. Note that the City's Trail Road landfill does not accept hazardous waste or liquid waste.
Oil-based paints, stains, varnishes and polyurethane contain solvents and should be treated as hazardous waste. Brushes and rollers soaked in oil-based products, and rags soaked in solvents, need care too. Oily and solvent-soaked rags can heat up and catch fire on their own if they are left bunched together, so lay them flat to dry outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, or keep them in a sealed metal container until disposal.
Construction adhesives, caulking, sealants and epoxies count as chemical waste when there is product left in the tube or container. The same goes for paint strippers, thinners, mineral spirits and cleaning solvents commonly found on renovation sites. Never pour any of these into household drains or storm drains — storm drains are not designed to treat chemicals.
Larger jobs that produce significant quantities of chemical waste may need a specialized hazardous waste hauler. Ask your contractor how they handle it, and ask for paperwork showing where the waste went — that documentation protects you as the property owner.
A post-construction cleaning company should be clear about how it handles paint and chemical waste. When you get quotes, ask whether hazardous waste disposal is included in the price or billed separately, and get itemized written quotes so it shows as its own line. For finding cleaning companies that handle the full scope of post-construction cleanup, including proper waste disposal, the Ottawa Construction Network directory at justynrookcontracting.com is a useful place to start.
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