2026 City of Ottawa Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event Schedule

Every year, the City of Ottawa (the City) hosts drop-off events to ensure that residents’ hazardous waste is safely collected, transported, and appropriately recycled or disposed of. This helps to protect the environment and decreases the risk of toxic materials ending up in the City’s collection vehicles and landfills.

The events are planned and executed by trained and certified waste management professionals in accordance with applicable laws. Any collection, handling and transportation of hazardous waste will be in compliance with applicable provincial and federal legislation.

The events complement existing diversion programs across the City, including the City’s Take it Back! Program which offers the option for residents to dispose of hazardous waste at their own convenience year-round. Paint, for example, is the most collected material at drop-off events which can be dropped off at many Take it Back! retailers across the city.

Another example is lithium batteries which represent a fire hazard and should be returned frequently. Residents can search for an item in the Waste Explorer to find retailers nearby that accept hazardous waste. This Program is an efficient way for residents to dispose of items, while giving materials directly back to the producer.

In 2025, the City hosted nine one-day drop-off Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events.

Nearly 17,500 residents attended these events, disposing of approximately 503 tonnes of household hazardous waste. This year, the City will again be hosting nine one-day drop-off events.

Please note that drop-off event dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date schedule, and to see the list of acceptable items, please visit Ottawa.ca/HHW.

The City will promote upcoming events using a variety of channels, including:

• A public service announcement

• Ottawa.ca/HHW

• Social media messaging

• Ottawa Collection Calendar app (messages to subscribers of our garbage and recycling reminders)

In addition to Councillors being invited to share the information contained within this memorandum with residents, ahead of these events, Solid Waste Services will provide additional communication, including event-specific information, to members of Council to boost awareness and encourage participation.

To complement the HHW event days described above, staff will pilot a series of walk-up HHW collection events in 2026, as approved by Council in the Legislative Report (ACS2025-PWD SWS-0004). Walk-up HHW events are designed for residents who arrive on foot, by bike or using mobility devices. These events will have limited space and a strict 20-litre per person capacity, and car drop-offs will be redirected to a regular HHW event.

To support safe operations and prevent overcrowding, communications for walk-up events will remain hyperlocal and targeted to nearby residents rather than promoted citywide.

Planning for the locations of these smaller events is underway and includes locations such as schools (St. Patrick’s Adult School), parks (Brewer Park parking lot), City pay parking lots (234-250 Slater), and commercial partners (Lee Valley). Councillors with walk-up event locations in their wards will be advised in advance and provided with targeted communications to share directly with residents.