Household Hazardous Waste Recycling in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) recycling program managed by Product Care Recycling (Product Care) began in 2021 under the Government of Saskatchewan’s Household Hazardous Waste Products Stewardship Regulations. The Regulations require anyone selling HHW products in Saskatchewan to have a program to manage them at end-of-life. Accepted HHW products include domestic pesticides, toxics, corrosives, flammable liquids (including gasoline) and physically hazardous products, such as non-refillable fuel cylinders.

 Product Care is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization, providing recycling services across nine Canadian provinces and is funded by its members who include HHW manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

  • The province’s new household hazardous waste (HHW) program partners with municipalities, local governments, and businesses to provide collection services through recycling locations and one day collection events, free of charge to consumers. To find your nearest recycling location or to find out if your community is hosting a household hazardous waste collection event, please use our recycling locator tool.

  • For safety reasons, all products must be in their original container with original label(s) intact to be accepted by the program. We can’t accept containers that have no label, are leaking or are improperly sealed.

    Pesticides

    We accept domestic, non-agricultural pesticides in liquid, solid, and aerosol forms. To be accepted, the product label must display:

    •The poison symbol (skull and crossbones) •The Pest Control Product (PCP) number •The word ‘domestic’

    The maximum container size is 10 litres. The maximum aerosol container size is 680g / 24oz.

    Toxics

    We accept domestic toxic products in liquid and aerosol forms. To be accepted, the product label must display:

    •the poison symbol (skull and crossbones) •the word ‘danger’ in an octagon

    Examples:

    •Automotive additives •Furniture stripper •Tar and bug remover

    The maximum container size is 10 litres. The maximum aerosol container size is 680g / 24oz.

    Corrosives

    We accept domestic corrosive products in liquid, solid, and aerosol forms. To be accepted, the product label must display

    •the corrosive symbol in an octagon.

    Examples:

    •Grout cleaner •Masonry cleaner •Pool and hot tub cleaners •Rust remover

    The maximum container size is 10 litres. The maximum aerosol container size is 680g / 24oz.

    Flammable liquids (including gasoline)

    We accept liquid and aerosol flammables. To be accepted, the container label must display

    •The flammable symbol in an octagon.

    Gasoline will be accepted only in a ULC-approved gas can or jerry can. For safety reasons, the gasoline container may not be returned to you at drop off.

    Examples:

    •Gasoline, including stale or old gasoline contaminated with oil or water •Acetone •BBQ lighter fluid •Camping fuel •Fondue fuel •Flammable degreasers •Flammable fuel treatment and additives •Flammable liquid adhesives •Flammable lubricants •Kerosene •Methanol •Methyl hydrate •Mineral spirits •Paint stripper •Paint thinners •Paint and varnish remover •Turpentine •Varsol •Other flammable solvents

    The maximum container size is 10 litres (25 litres for gasoline only). The maximum aerosol container size is 680g / 24oz.

    Physically hazardous products

    We accept non-refillable fuel cylinders with a label that displays both the flammable symbol and explosive symbol

    Examples include non-refillable fuel cylinders such as:

    •Non-refillable butane cylinders •Non-refillable camping cylinders •Non-refillable propane cylinders

    Maximum container size is 5kg and containers must not be refillable.

  • •Non-hazardous materials •Unidentifiable, unknown, unlabelled, and non-original containers •Leaking or improperly sealed products •Ammunition •Batteries •Caulking compound •Cement •Commercial, industrial or agricultural products •Cosmetics and health or beauty aids •Diesel •Down the drain cleaners (eg. drain opener, bleach) •Down the drain corrosive products •Drugs, medicines, and medical sharps •Fertilizer •Mercury switches •Oil/antifreeze •Powder forms (solid) of masonry products, cement, grout, mortar, plaster of Paris •Refillable propane cylinders •Swimming pool chemicals (eg. pucks, pH adjustors) •Wine and distilled spirits

  • At its end-of-life, HHW products are managed based on their hazardous properties. They can be used for energy, treated and discharged, or incinerated at high temperatures. In all cases, the HHW is prevented from contaminating waterways and ecosystems.

  • Product Care Recycling is an industry funded not-for-profit. The Saskatchewan household hazardous waste program is funded entirely by Environmental Handling Fees (EHFs) remitted to Product Care by its industry members. The fees are utilized for collection, transportation, recycling and safe disposal of returned products, as well as program administration and communication.

    The Environmental Handling Fees may be displayed as a separate charge by vendors, sometimes described as an eco-fee, environmental handling fee, or recycling fee on the receipt.

    The Environmental Handling Fee is part of the price of regulated products and therefore subject to applicable sales taxes. While the taxes are remitted to the government, the fee itself is not remitted to the government.

    A list of EHF’s is available on Product Care’s website

  • For more information, visit https://www.productcare.org/products/hhw/saskatchewan/ or call 1-877-592-2972 (226)

Paint Recycling in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan paint recycling program managed by Product Care Recycling (Product Care) began in 2006 under the Government of Saskatchewan’s Waste Paint Management Regulations. The Regulations require anyone selling paint products in Saskatchewan to have a program to manage them at end-of-life. Accepted paint products include household paints, stains, varnishes, and empty paint cans. The program recycles over 300,000 litres annually, and since its inception, more than 3 million litres of paint have been recycled in Saskatchewan.

Product Care is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization, providing recycling services across nine Canadian provinces and is funded by its members who include paint manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

  • Customers can take paint containers ranging in size from 100 ml to 23 litres, empty or containing paint, and aerosol paint containers to any one of the 72 SARCAN Recycling depots across the province. SARCAN also maintains shelves for sharing leftover paint if paint is of high enough quality, which is available for the public free of charge. For more information, see the PaintReuse section of Product Care’s website.

    Daily limits for paint drop off apply: 25 one-gallon paint containers and up to 50 aerosol paint containers. Trade painters and other bulk paint customers may drop off more by appointment only.

    Paint can also be returned to participating Rona and Lowes locations.

  • When returning leftover paint, be sure to keep products in their original containers with labels intact. Do not combine leftover paints with each other or with oils, solvents or other products. Make sure paint cans are properly sealed before transporting.

    Paint products included in the program are:

    • Interior and exterior water-based (e.g. latex, acrylic) and oil-based (e.g. alkyd, enamel) consumer paint

    • Deck and floor coating (including elastomeric)

    • Varnish and urethane (single-component)

    • Concrete and masonry paint

    • Drywall paint

    • Undercoats and primers (e.g. metal, wood etc.)

    • Stucco paint

    • Marine paint (unless registered under Pest Control Products Act)

    • Wood finishing oil

    • Melamine, metal and anti-rust paint, stain and shellac

    • Swimming pool paint (single-component)

    • Stain blocking paint

    • Textured paint

    • Block filler

    • Wood preservatives (unless registered under Pest Control Act)

    • Wood, masonry, driveway sealer or water repellant (non-tar or bitumen based)

    • Already empty paint containers

    • Aerosol paint of all types, including: automotive, craft and industrial

  • Paints or wood preservatives that are registered as a pesticide under the pest control act (has P.C.P. Reg# on label) e.g. marine anti-fouling paint, should be treated as a pesticide

    • Craft paint (non-aerosol)

    • Automotive paint (non-aerosol)

    • Industrial paints & finishes (eg. baked-on, heat resistant etc.)

    • 2-part or component paints containing catalyst or activator

    • Roof patch or repair

    • Tars

    • Tar-based or bitumen based product

    • Traffic or line marking paint

    • Quick drying paint

    • Resins

    • Paint thinners, mineral spirits or solvents

    • Deck cleaners

    • Colorants and Tints

    • Caulking compound, epoxies, glues or adhesives

    • Wood preservatives

    • Brushes, rags and rollers

    • Paint in glass containers

    • Unidentifiable or unlabelled containers

    • Improperly sealed paint containers

    • Paint containers with poor integrity (e.g. badly rusted cans) or leaking

    • Bulging containers

    • Other household chemicals

  • At its end-of-life, paint products are recycled into a number of different uses or products including: recycled into new paint, used as binder in cement, as alternative fuels.

  • The most cost-effective and energy efficient use for leftover paint is reuse. Leftover paint could be offered to friends or community groups, or take it to SARCAN. SARCAN makes useable paint brought to their depots available to the public free of charge.

    Consumers may want to save extra paint to use for touch ups. To properly store paint, clean the rim of the can to ensure a proper seal. Pour 1/8" (3mm) of solvent on top of oil-based paint, or 1/8" (3mm) of water on top of latex paint to seal the surface, then secure the lid. Alternatively, stretch plastic wrap over the can opening, replace the lid securely, and store paint upside down. This will create an airtight seal to keep the paint fresh until you're ready to use it again. Always store paint away from heat sources at temperatures between 3 degrees and 35 degrees Celsius, and out of the reach of children.

  • The program is funded entirely by Environmental Handling Fees (EHFs) remitted by Product Care's industry members. EHFs are paid by Product Care members based on their unit sales and these fees are passed on to consumers when they purchase paint at a retailer. The EHF is neither a tax nor a deposit, but rather, a fee to cover the cost of responsible management of paint and paint containers at their end-of-life. No part of the eco-fee is remitted to the government and there is no government funding for the program.

    A list of the EHFs is available on Product Care’s website.

  • For more information, visit https://www.productcare.org/products/paint/saskatchewan/ or call 306-880-1488