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Household Hazardous Waste

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Effective March 4

Light bulbs will no longer be accepted at Markham Recycling Depots. 

Drop off at York Region Household Hazardous Waste Depot for recycling, at no charge to you. See below for more details.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Many common household products contain hazardous chemicals that can hurt people and the environment! HHW is any product that is poisonous, corrosive, flammable, or explosive. Never put hazardous waste in the garbage, blue box or pour down the drain or toilet!

For safe handling and proper recycling, drop off at York Region Household Hazardous Waste Depot. 


 

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Poison

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Corrosive

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Flammable

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Explosive

York Region Household Hazardous Waste Depot

403 Rodick Road just south of Miller Avenue.

Hours of Operation

Monday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Friday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Saturday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Sunday: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Closed

Civic and statutory holidays

Guidelines:

  • Residential hazardous waste materials must be in well-labelled, sealed containers
  • Any/all containers, including jerry cans, will not be returned
  • Do not mix different products together
  • Needles and syringes need to be in puncture-proof containers
  • There is no cost to Markham residents
     

Not Accepted:
Please do not bring any of the following items to the depot:

  • Ammunition and Explosives: Please contact your local York Regional Police Branch.
  • Asbestos
  • Lighting ballasts for fluorescent lights
  • Medical and radioactive waste
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
    • Contact York Region at 1.866.665.6752 for disposal information.
  • Hazardous waste generated by Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) business sources. 
     

Learn more at these links:

Light Bulb Recycling

The importance of recycling your light bulbs 

Proper recycling of light bulbs ensures that harmful chemicals like mercury, are handled safely to protect the environment. Keeping light bulbs out of landfill means their glass and metal components can be recycled and used again.

Light bulb recycling process

When you drop off your light bulbs for safe recycling, they are transported to an authorized processor. The processor sorts the lights by type and stages them for manual or mechanical processing.

  • Glass - Crushed glass can be used in insulation or as a sandblasting material
  • Mercury - Mercury-containing phosphor powder is distilled to separate mercury into its pure elemental form. It is then safely contained by approved storage providers and directed back into market, as needed, for use in lighting, medical, and other sectors
  • Metal - Metal from bulbs and fixtures is absorbed by the metal commodities market, and has a wide range of applications
     

 

FAQs

  1. Why is the City no longer accepting light bulbs at the recycling depots? 

    Producers of light bulbs are accountable for their products and packaging once consumers are finished with them. To support this provincial regulation, Markham Recycling Depots can no longer accept this hazardous waste, effective March 4, 2025.
     
  2. Where can I take my lightbulbs for recycling? 

    Light bulbs are household hazardous waste. For safe, proper recycling and disposal, Markham residents can drop off their light bulbs at:

  1. Is there any cost to drop-off my light bulbs for recycling?

    No. 
     
  2. What light bulbs are accepted at drop-off locations?
Accepted Products:Not Accepted Products:
  • Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)
  • Fluorescent tubes (straight, curved, U, circular, square, etc.)
  • High-intensity discharge (HIDs) and special purpose bulbs
  • Incandescent and halogen bulbs
  • Miniature bulbs
  • Light emitting diodes (LEDs)
  • Ultra High Performance (UHP) (replacement projector lamps)
  • UV and germicidal bulbs
  • String lights, lights strips (York Region HHW Depot ONLY)

 

  • Light fixtures
  • Ballasts

 

  1. Is there a limit to how many light bulbs I can drop-off?

    Yes. 

    York Region accepts a maximum of 20 compact fluorescent tubes per day, per resident. 

    *Light Recycling Ontario provides free large volume pickup service for ICI (industrial, commercial, and institutional) organizations.