Residents in the Battlefords now have a year-round option to safely get rid of old fuels, cleaners and other household chemicals — without having to wait for a special drop-off day.
The City of North Battleford’s new household hazardous waste depot officially opened July 2 at the Waste Management Facility, located east of the city off Wearing Road.
The permanent depot replaces the city’s previous twice-a-year collection days. The goal is to keep hazardous materials out of landfills, drains and yards — and help protect people and the environment.
Jeffrey Blanchard, assistant director of city operations, said the project has been in the works for about a year.
“We’re very excited about this project. It took us about a year from application through construction to do, but we’re very excited to have it in the community,” Blanchard said.
He noted the new service is free for local residents, including those living in the RMs and the Town of Battleford.
Approved by the Ministry of Environment, the new depot is housed in a retrofitted shipping container designed with spill protection and storage drums for safe handling.
Blanchard said there are still a few things people should keep in mind when dropping off waste.
“We don’t take paint because we have an existing SARCAN depot that takes paint. We don’t take commercial or industrial loads. We encourage those customers to reach out to hazardous waste companies,” he said.
Electronics should also be dropped off at SARCAN. He added the site won’t accept unknown chemicals and said residents should contact a hazardous waste company if they’re unsure what an item is.
Accepted items include adhesives, aerosols, automotive liquids, cleaners, corrosives, fuels, mercury, oxidizers, poisons and solvents — as long as they’re in their original containers or clearly labelled. Residents are asked not to mix different products and to keep labels intact.
Used oil, antifreeze, propane cylinders, fluorescent bulbs and large batteries can also be dropped off at the Eco Centre on the same site, saving an extra trip.
Household hazardous waste loads are free to drop off, but regular garbage brought at the same time will still have a minimum $6 tipping fee.
“But if they came out just with household hazardous waste, there is no fee,” Blanchard said.

The Waste Management Facility is open Monday to Saturday, with summer hours (May 1 – Oct. 31) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
More information, including a full list of accepted materials, is available at cityofnb.ca or by calling 306-446-4411.
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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com