Can an old oil tank go in a bin after a furnace swap in Ottawa?

Oil tanks have one condition on the City of Ottawa's Trail Waste Facility rates page: "Oil tanks/drums MUST be cut in half or perforated many times" before the landfill takes them. The same page says the landfill does not accept liquid waste or hazardous waste.

Whether a bin company will take the tank at all is a separate question, because bin companies set their own lists of refused and surcharged items. A bin company's list can be stricter than the City landfill's, and the rule that matters for your bin is the one the company puts in writing.

Before the tank goes anywhere near the bin, ask the company:

• Does it accept an old oil tank, and on what conditions?
• Does the tank have to be cut in half or perforated before it goes in?
• Is there a per-item charge for it, and does it count toward the weight on the bill?
• What does the written list of refused and surcharged items say?

Weight is part of the bill in both published pricing models: per tonne in the bin-fee-plus-weight model, and against the included tonnes in the all-in model. Ask how the tank's weight will be billed.

The furnace swap itself is a heating job, not a bin question; this site covers only where the old tank can go.

If the company will not take the tank, the City's own condition still applies to anyone bringing it to Trail Road: cut in half or perforated many times.

Get the company's yes or no in writing before the bin arrives, so the tank is not left behind on pickup day.