Contents
- Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Household chemical disposal in Canada
- Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Household waste collection volumes and facilities
- Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Paint, oil, pesticide, and cleaner collections
- Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by household composition and education
- Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by dwelling and residence duration
- Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by province and population area
- Sources
Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Household chemical disposal in Canada
In Statistics Canada’s 2021 survey, about 80% of Canadian households reported having some type of hazardous waste to dispose of during the prior 12 months. Three in four households used a controlled disposal route. These are rounded aggregate statements across the survey’s hazardous-waste categories; they are not chemical-only rates and should not be described as recycling rates. Statistics Canada: Understanding factors shaping household environmental practices and behaviours in Canada
The same article reports that 38% of households had pesticides, chemical waste or e-waste to dispose of over the prior 12 months. That figure combines 3 categories, so it does not isolate the share with household chemicals. It describes reported waste presence, while the disposal percentages below concern the route taken by households with the relevant waste category. Statistics Canada: survey findings
For the chart’s “Pesticides and chemical waste” category, controlled disposal means returning items to a supplier or retailer, or taking or sending them to a depot or drop-off centre. The category includes paint or solvents and engine oil or antifreeze. It is a measure of controlled handling, not proof that materials were recycled. Statistics Canada’s percentages are rates among households reporting that particular waste category, rather than shares of all households. Statistics Canada: definitions and Chart 2
A separate subgroup comparison in the article concerns households’ interaction with nearby nature. Among households reporting pesticides and chemical waste, 80% of those who had visited a nearby park or public greenspace reported controlled disposal. The article gives a range of 71% to 76% for households without access to a nearby greenspace or with access but no visit. These are survey associations; they do not establish that visiting a park caused a difference in disposal behaviour. Statistics Canada: “Households’ interaction with nature”
Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Household waste collection volumes and facilities
Program reports provide a different view: weights collected through designated household hazardous-waste services. In Western Australia, 491 tonnes of household hazardous waste were collected for safe recovery and disposal in financial year 2022–23. The report also described nearly 7,000 tonnes collected since 2011 through 15 permanent facilities and collection events. The cumulative figure is reported as “nearly” 7,000 tonnes and is not an exact total. Waste Authority WA: Waste and recycling in Western Australia 2022–23, p. 28
A later Western Australian announcement reported 549,943 kilograms of hazardous materials collected and processed at facilities in 2024–25. It said the program offered free disposal at 15 permanent locations and that the amount collected increased by more than 45,000 kilograms compared with 2023–24. The report’s wording covers hazardous materials handled by the program; the total should not be treated as a chemical-only quantity. Government of Western Australia: 2024–25 household hazardous-waste program
North Carolina’s 2026 Consolidated Waste Report records 30 permanent permitted household hazardous-waste sites across 23 counties in FY 2024–25. Those sites collected 7,065,119 pounds. Separately, 58 one-day temporary events collected 719,493 pounds in the same fiscal year. These are distinct collection channels and the reported weights are in pounds. North Carolina DEQ: 2026 Consolidated Waste Report, pp. 106–107
| Program and period | Collection quantity | Collection network |
|---|---|---|
| Western Australia, 2022–23 | 491 tonnes | 15 permanent facilities and collection events, reported cumulatively since 2011 |
| Western Australia, 2024–25 | 549,943 kilograms | 15 permanent locations |
| North Carolina, FY 2024–25 | 7,065,119 pounds at permanent sites; 719,493 pounds at temporary events | 30 permanent sites in 23 counties; 58 one-day events |
These figures describe separate jurisdictions, reporting periods and program boundaries. The Western Australian 2022–23 report’s 491-tonne annual total and the later announcement’s 2024–25 kilogram total are not presented here as a directly comparable trend series. North Carolina’s permanent-site and event totals are likewise kept separate. The reports describe collection or processing, not the final recycling destination for every item. Waste Authority WA, p. 28 · Government of Western Australia · North Carolina DEQ, pp. 106–107
Recycling of household chemicals statistics: Paint, oil, pesticide, and cleaner collections
Western Australia’s 2022–23 material breakdown applies to permanent household hazardous-waste facilities. The categories show the range of materials accepted and collected, from general cleaners to automotive and garden-related chemicals. The reported weights and the report’s accompanying shares are reproduced below as listed. Waste Authority WA: Waste and recycling in Western Australia 2022–23, p. 28
| Material collected at WA permanent facilities, 2022–23 | Kilograms | Reported share |
|---|---|---|
| General household chemicals, such as cleaners | 35,355 | 7% |
| Pesticides, non-Schedule X | 24,155 | 5% |
| Acids | 11,095 | 2% |
| Alkali | 8,875 | 2% |
| Inorganic oxidising agents, such as pool chlorine | 3,930 | 1% |
| Water-based paint | 7,600 | 2% |
| Solvent-based paint | 990 | 0% |
| Flammable liquids | 49,990 | 10% |
| Engine coolants and glycols | 34,760 | 7% |
| Aerosols | 33,520 | 7% |
| Fire extinguishers | 26,425 | 5% |
| Gas cylinders, other | 90 | 0% |
The WA category shares are rounded as printed: for example, solvent-based paint and other gas cylinders each appear as 0% despite nonzero recorded weights. The underlying weights therefore matter when reading small categories. These figures cover permanent facilities, not all collection events. They also do not indicate how much of each category was recycled, recovered or disposed of by a particular method. Waste Authority WA: material breakdown, p. 28
North Carolina’s permanent-facility table reports a separate set of categories in pounds for FY 2024–25. Paint was the largest of the listed chemical-related categories, while the table also records automotive fluids, flammables, pesticides and other household hazardous materials. North Carolina DEQ: 2026 Consolidated Waste Report, Table V-6, pp. 106–107
| North Carolina permanent-facility category, FY 2024–25 | Pounds |
|---|---|
| Various paints | 4,558,135 |
| Flammable liquids and solids | 570,987 |
| Automotive oil, filters and antifreeze | 822,282 |
| Batteries: lead-acid, cadmium, lithium and alkaline | 204,157 |
| Mercury-containing fluorescent bulbs and other mercury-containing materials | 111,078 |
| Compressed gases | 117,107 |
| Poisonous materials, including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers and pool chemicals | 234,935 |
| Corrosive materials | 174,195 |
| Oxidizing substances | 111,764 |
| Aerosols | 139,886 |
| Reactives | 42 |
The North Carolina rows are collection quantities for permanent sites; they do not specify treatment outcomes. The two regional tables should not be combined into one ranking because they use different units, category definitions, years and program systems. In particular, “various paints” in North Carolina is not necessarily identical in scope to the separate water-based and solvent-based paint categories in Western Australia. North Carolina DEQ, Table V-6 · Waste Authority WA, p. 28
Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by household composition and education
Statistics Canada’s 2021 Chart 2 allows comparisons among Canadian households with pesticides and chemical waste. The percentages below are controlled-disposal rates for that waste category, using the supplier/retailer return or depot/drop-off definition. They describe household groups, not the share of all households that generated such waste. Statistics Canada: Chart 2
| Household group | Controlled disposal of pesticides and chemical waste, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Seniors only | 81.8% |
| Adults only | 78.0% |
| Adults with children | 74.5% |
| Highest education: college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma | 81.3% |
| Highest education: bachelor’s degree | 77.2% |
The composition categories show rates of 81.8% for senior-only households, 78.0% for adults-only households and 74.5% for households with adults and children. In the education comparison, households whose highest credential was a college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma had a rate of 81.3%; the bachelor’s-degree group had a rate of 77.2%. These are descriptive results from a 2021 survey, not evidence that household composition or education caused the differences. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, household composition and education rows
Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by dwelling and residence duration
Dwelling type and time in the home are two further characteristics shown in the same Canadian chart. Among households in single-detached dwellings, 80.8% used controlled disposal for pesticides and chemical waste. The reported rate for households in apartments or flats was 68.2%. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, dwelling type rows
| Household characteristic | Controlled disposal of pesticides and chemical waste, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Single-detached dwelling | 80.8% |
| Apartment or flat | 68.2% |
| Resident in dwelling for less than 5 years | 73.3% |
| Resident in dwelling for 10 years or more | 81.5% |
The residence-duration figures are 73.3% for households that had lived in their dwelling for less than 5 years and 81.5% for households resident for 10 years or more. The chart reports these as group rates; it does not establish why they differ. Taken with the dwelling figures, the measures show that the survey captured controlled-disposal patterns across housing and residence-duration categories while retaining the same waste category and disposal definition. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, dwelling and time-lived-in-dwelling rows
Recycling of household chemicals: Controlled disposal by province and population area
In the 2021 Canadian survey, the controlled-disposal rate for pesticides and chemical waste was 83.8% in British Columbia, 81.9% in Quebec and 72.9% in Ontario. The chart labels Ontario as the reference category. These are provincial household rates for the specified waste category, not recycling rates or province-wide tonnage totals. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, province rows
For population-area groups, the corresponding rates were 75.1% in large census metropolitan areas (CMAs), 80.3% in medium CMAs and 77.8% in small CMAs. Small urban areas recorded 81.6%, while non-urban areas recorded 81.0%. Large CMAs are the chart’s reference category. The figures make clear that the chart’s categories extend beyond large cities, but they do not explain the differences among places. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, census metropolitan area rows
The same chart includes e-waste as a comparator, which is not a chemical-specific measure. Controlled disposal of e-waste was 58.2% in Quebec, 70.7% in British Columbia and 48.7% in Ontario in 2021. Keeping these figures separate from the pesticides-and-chemical-waste rates preserves the chart’s distinction between waste categories. Statistics Canada: Chart 2, province and e-waste column
Across the Canadian subgroup figures, “controlled disposal” refers to a reported handling route rather than a verified recycling outcome. The collection reports from Western Australia and North Carolina add measured program volumes and material categories, but their totals describe different systems and periods. Together, these sources document household disposal behaviour and program collection activity without making the measures interchangeable.