The Green Room

C.D. from Vancouver writes:

I have some old cleaners that I don’t use such as Tilex, Orange Glo, etc. What should I do with them since I now use natural cleaners? I don’t really want to dump them down the drain, but perhaps that’s the only way to get rid of them?

Lindsay replies:

Great question! So now that you’ve made the switch you need to safely dispose of the toxic stew of products. They are likely labeled as flammable, toxic, hazardous, etc. and this means they have to be treated as such — hazardous waste, that is.

Depending on your city or town, you’ll have to check in with your respective depot. Each city or town has a municipal waste facility that will accept batteries, paints, and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) like toilet bowl cleaner. See if you can drop it off there and good on you for not pouring it down the drain!

Have you considered making your own home cleaners? It’s a lot cheaper and very effective. See our issue of the David Suzuki Nature Challenge newsletter where I show you via video how to make your own and give you the recipes too. Check them out at queenofgreen.org .