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Many Orange Drop products are recognizable – we all know what a fire extinguisher, paint can or spent battery look like. Not so when it comes to leachate – that’s because we don’t actually use leachate – rather it’s created by some of the waste we produce in landfill. Even when we do our best to practice the three “Rs” – reduce, reuse and recycle – and divert waste from landfills, we would still have to manage the leachate from existing and even closed landfills. So what is this mysterious substance? Simply put, leachate is the liquid that drains or “leaches” from a landfill – water that percolates through or drained from hazardous waste and becomes contaminated is a leachate. And, when that material contains more toxic substances than allowed by regulation, we call it leachate toxic waste. Toxic substances in leachate are related to the nature of waste deposited, so certain materials need to be diverted from landfill to prevent contamination of groundwater. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure is the extraction method used by the Ministry of the Environment uses to determine if there contaminants exceed the limit set out in regulation.
What's included? There is currently no known list of residential products that would be captured in this product category, although fluorescent lamp ballasts (manufactured before 1979), high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, and the rapid-start lamps commonly used in flashing signs all contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – and would produce a leachate toxic. Stewardship Ontario is currently working with government to identify a range of products for inclusion in this category – stay tuned for more information.
It's time to Make the Drop – Orange Drop! Learn more about where you can return these materials in your community. Enter your postal code into the search box to find the location nearest you and to locate our retail partners. Results may take up to 60 to 90 seconds to appear (Enter your postal code without spaces eg. A1B2C3)
Before going to a depot we recommend that you check the municipal website to review any residency restrictions or changes in hours or events.
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