Thanks to a partnership between the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the City of Kamloops, residents throughout the TNRD can now safely dispose of hazardous household waste (HHW) at a year-round facility in Kamloops.
North-Wood Environmental Services operates the site at 480 Okanagan Way in the Mount Paul Industrial Park, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It accepts a broad range of household hazardous waste, which is the term used to describe a broad range of items, including solvents and flammable liquids, gasoline, pesticides, toxics, corrosives, and other physically hazardous products that are generated by or from residential activities.
In the past the TNRD held annual HHW collection single-day round-up events in member municipalities, with one event in Kamloops and one or two events in other communities. The events were well-received, and were utilized by approximately 3,500 residents, generating 15,000 litres and 2,500 kilograms of materials.
However, the events limited residents to only one day a year to drop off materials. Adriana Mailloux, the TNRD’s manager of solid waste and recycling, says that during public consultation for the 2018 Regional Solid Waste Management Plan, a year-round HHW facility was one of the key strategies that was identified.
“Finding a suitable piece of land was difficult, and there were no responses to the procurement process,” she explains. “It was really difficult to find a contractor offering this service. It’s a very niche market, and the interest wasn’t there.
“We did a second round of procurement and found a successful proponent, but had to build a facility. We’re very excited that it’s open now, as it’s been a long time coming.”
The facility, which opened on May 1, is for any TNRD residents who have HHW to dispose of. Mailloux says that the initial response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People have been waiting quite a while for this, and they think it’s a great initiative. They can drop stuff off in one place and not have to travel to different facilities.”
The TNRD did not hold any household hazardous waste round-ups in 2023, and Mailloux says people were definitely holding on to things. Both the TNRD and the City of Kamloops kept lists of people who contacted them about disposing of HHW, and as soon as the new facility was up and running they called everyone on the lists to let them know.
“We haven’t been advised of anything being turned away,” she notes. “Used motor oil is always very popular, and remnants of household paint in paint cans are very common things to have around the house, along with herbicides and pesticides.”
Mailloux adds that while motor oil, paint, and some other HHW materials can be dropped off free of charge at all TNRD Eco-Depots, they must be in their original, labelled container.
“People can still continue to bring things like motor oil and paint to the Boston Flats Eco-Depot — we don’t want people loading up and coming to Kamloops — but they have to be in the original containers. And sometimes when things get old the labels fall off. That was a big barrier before.
“A lot of times people inherit this stuff and don’t know what to do with it, so it ends up sitting in a garage or shed, in a basement corner or under the sink. Some crazy stuff comes in, and the story behind it is often ‘I was cleaning out my grandfather’s shed and found it.’ It could be something that’s been banned for the last 50 years, and no one’s touched it until you sell the house and are there cleaning up, finding abandoned material sitting in a dark and dusty corner.”
Mailloux says that most people bringing things in have them safely secured in containers, and adds that they are definitely seeing some older items. Among the things that have been dropped off at the new facility are a product containing DDT — which was banned in the early 1970s — and a glass jar containing two pounds of mercury.
The key message Mailloux wants to convey is that the new facility is designed as a safe place to drop off any “unknowns”: the mystery liquids lurking in unlabelled containers. Staff at the Kamloops site are trained to identify and safely deal with these items, so that they can be disposed of responsibly.
“If people aren’t sure about what they can bring to a local site as opposed to the hazardous waste facility, give us a call,” she advises. “I’d hate people to make an unnecessary trip to Kamloops if they could take it to a local site. There’s lots of information on our website about what’s accepted and not accepted at Eco-Depots.”
Mailloux stresses the importance of not disposing of hazardous materials down the drain or in the garbage.
“It shouldn’t be in a landfill, and we’re prohibited from landfilling liquids and hazardous waste. We know that a small amount makes its way into the garbage, because people aren’t aware of the risks or that they shouldn’t. Proper disposal is important for the protection of the environment, and if materials are brought to the site they will be properly managed and disposed of.”
For a list of materials accepted at TNRD Eco-Depots, go to https://bit.ly/3R0vJl3. For a list of materials accepted at the HHW facility, as well as the declaration form that must be filled out prior to disposal, go to https://bit.ly/3yycLf3.