Since our last post, in which we pointed you to Rona as a great drop-off point for old paint, we came across a fantastic site that will help you clear your garage of everything hazardous – from aerosol containers, oil filters and antifreeze to gas canisters, batteries, pesticides and more.

Orange Drop is a Stewardship Ontario initiative that helps Ontarians recycle way beyond the Blue and Green Bin, and their site is really user-friendly.

Here’s what we suggest. Head out to your garage now with pen and paper in hand. Write a list of any hazardous items you’ve been meaning to dispose of. Then go directly to www.makethedrop.ca.

Once you’re there:

• Click on the button that reads “Where do I go to make the drop?”
• Enter your postal code in the space provided.
• Use the drop-down menu to select the waste category of the first item on your list.
• Browse the results page and choose the most convenient location for drop-off.

It’s that simple, so no more excuses. Clear out your garage day. Your car will thank you!

In our last post, we talked about ways to restore order to your garage so that you can get your vehicle back inside before the season turns. The long and short of it was purge what you don’t need; organize what you do. Following that post, a reader dropped us a note asking how to dispose of leftover paint responsibly. Here’s an easy solution.

Remember the saying “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure?” Well, last January Rona launched a new initiative under Ontario’s Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Program. Under that program, you can now drop-off old paint at Rona stores across Ontario. They recondition about 80 percent of what they collect.

Who knows whose walls your old paint will turn up on, but we think you’ll agree that anywhere is better than a landfill.