Ministry approves proposal for RPRA to operate Hazardous Waste Information Network for industrial hazardous or liquid waste
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has expanded the mandate of the Authority to include digital reporting services for a wider range of waste and resource recovery programs beyond producer responsibility, starting with the Hazardous Waste Information Network (HWIN).
In a decision posted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario on December 19, MECP amended the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Waste Diversion Transition Act to expand the Authority’s mandate. The Ministry consulted on the proposal and determined the change will provide efficient digital services for businesses; enable better compliance monitoring and timely enforcement actions, which will assure Ontarians that polluters are held accountable. The change will also increase the number of RPRA stakeholders to create a larger group of users to share common program costs.
The Authority’s existing Registry expertise will help eliminate the administrative burden of processing over 450,000 paper documents for the Hazardous Waste Program. It will also make it easier for businesses to submit all program reports electronically while saving time and money.
The Ministry will hold further consultations on regulations that will transition reporting services to the Authority in 2020.
The Ministry’s HWIN proposal is unrelated to the wind up of the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Program currently operated by Stewardship Ontario.