Summer! The time of year where you’re likely making some upgrades to your home or when home owners are preparing their houses for sale. Whether it’s a simple paint job or a complete overhaul of your kitchen, you will likely be left with scraps of renovation materials. Here are some tips on how you can dispose the old construction material safely.
Call a Pro
The easiest way to dispose of your leftover debris from your summer renovation project is to call a “junk removal” company to come pick it up. There are many services in Toronto that handle junk removal and most pick it up right from your home. Two notable companies in Toronto that offer this service is 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Just Junk Removal. When finished your renovation project, just schedule an appointment online and their specialist will come and pick up and dispose everything for you. Both companies price their service based on the size of the load you are removing. These services are especially useful when you do not have your own vehicle and do not have the time to deal with disposal yourself.
The Do-It-Yourself Option
If you would like to save money and handle the disposal yourself, you can look to drop-off depots in the city. The city of Toronto operates seven Transfer Stations where you can drop off materials that are on their accepted items list. The city depots only cover a short list of renovation waste so you will likely need to go to various disposal depots to finish the job.
Here are some common items you may need to dispose and where you’ll need to go to do it.
How to Remove These Common Types of Renovation Debris
Paint Cans
Painting is the most common renovation project. Whether you are painting your entire house or just a room, you will likely be left with used paint cans, which generally are not allowed to be disposed in the regular trash service. Since paint cans are a hazardous material, they must be dropped off at specific facilities. The City of Toronto offers free pick-up service right from your door step but you can choose to visit a list of depots that recycle paint cans.
Light Bulbs
LED, CFL, and Halogen bulbs are among the most common types, but they’re also the most difficult to dispose of. The most important thing to know is not to throw light bulbs into the trash as this could harm the environment. Many lightbulbs contain traces of mercury, which can be highly toxic for landfills. Many stores, like Rona and Home Depot, offer bins to recycle old light bulbs responsibility. This method is convenient as you can purchase new light bulbs when you recycle your old ones.
Batteries
Similar to light bulbs, batteries are another household item that often gets thrown in the trash. Batteries are just as hazardous as light bulbs and should be disposed of at proper depots. Most places that offer light bulb disposal will also offer battery disposal. This means that you can visit your local hardware store and find recycling bins for all types of batteries for disposal.
Furniture
Furniture is often a difficult thing to remove without professional help. Depending on the city, they may offer free curb side pick-up for old furniture, but consult with your local city’s website for more details. Most cities will require an appointment for oversize items but the City of Toronto states that they will pick up any large items during regular garbage pick-up service. You may also opt to use a junk removal service as this is the most popular solution for furniture removal.
Last Resort
If there are no waste and recycling depots that accept the waste material you are disposing, you can discard the material along with your trash. Some materials are simply not salvageable or recyclable and therefore are not accepted. This means that you can dispose of it along with your regular trash.
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