Our homes are a hotbed of toxic chemicals and pharmaceutical waste just a flush or an application away from the water we drink and the air we breathe.

If not disposed of properly, household cleaners, cosmetics, medicine, pesticides, herbicides, paint, solvents, motor oil and the containers they come in, along with consumer-electronic components containing a raft of contaminants such as lead, mercury, cadmium, beryllium and flame retardant brominates, will find their way into our environment.

A McGill University report published in July 2015 in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry said a study found trace amounts of cocaine, oxycodone and morphine, along with other illicit and prescription drugs, in southern Ontario waterways.

Researchers also found certain drugs have made their way into the province’s drinking water, even after going through the purification process at water-treatment facilities.

This is why it is so important to safely dispose of household hazardous waste that accumulates in our closets, cupboards, garages, basements and medicine cabinets.

Household hazardous waste, which city crews will not collect along with garbage and recyclables, fall under the four following categories:

Corrosive:Car-battery acid, drain cleaners, paint strippers and any substances that will eat away a material and injure skin.

Flammable:Lighter fluid, gasoline, turpentine or any liquid or solid substance that can ignite.

Explosive:Aerosol or gas/propane containers that may explode if incinerated, firearm ammunition, gun powder, fireworks.

Poisonous:Cleaning fluids, pesticides and medicines that can be poisonous or lethal, even in small amounts, to adults, children and pets. Used syringes and biomedical waste can also be classed as potentially poisonous.

Toronto has six garbage and recycling Drop-Off Depots across the city, where hazardous household waste can be taken.

Two operate on a 24-hour-a-day schedule and the others on varying days of the week and certain times of the day.

These include depots in North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough and Toronto’s Portlands area.

Vehicles entering Drop-Off Depots will be weighed. A minimum $20 deposit is required. Since there is no charge for the disposal of hazardous household waste, the deposit will be returned after the vehicle is weighed on exiting the depot.

There is, however, a charge for dropping off refuse or items that are not considered to be household hazardous waste and a flat fee of $10 will be deducted from the deposit on the way out, or additional charges will be added to the deposit for any outstanding balance of the fee.

While there is no charge for dropping off hazardous items, including empty propane and helium tanks, fees are charged for renovation or construction waste.

For people who don’t have a vehicle and are unable to take their hazardous garbage to the depots, the city operates a Toxic Taxi pick-up service, which is only available to Toronto residents (not businesses).

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The service is free when a request is made to the City by phoning 311 or by completing a request online at toronto.ca/311. Residents can schedule a pickup date, read instructions on how to package and label the items to be picked up, and learn the limits to the amount of hazardous waste to be picked up, which is a measure to prevent commercial volumes of waste.

Hazardous household waste can also be brought for disposal, free of charge, to Community Environmental Days, which are scheduled on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at parks and community centres across the city, from April to October.