Supply and recovery of batteries in Ontario
Latest metrics for single-use batteries
2023 recovery rate requirement
2023 tonnes of batteries supplied into Ontario
2023 recovery rate
2023 tonnes recovered
Latest metrics for rechargeable batteries
2023 recovery rate requirement
2023 tonnes of batteries supplied into Ontario
2023 recovery rate
2023 tonnes recovered
About resource recovery
Obligated companies who supply single-use and/or rechargeable batteries (batteries) into Ontario are required by the Batteries Regulation to meet resource recovery requirements. Resource recovery is the collection and recycling of end-of-life products or packaging. By law, battery producers must report every year on the weight of batteries they supply into Ontario, and how they met the resource recovery requirements.
For more information about resource recovery and Ontario’s recycling laws, visit our information section on the circular economy.
Reporting on batteries recovery
RPRA will report aggregated battery supply and recovery data annually to this page, along with annual reductions applied to the recovery requirement for batteries.
Types of data reported:
- Supply: The weight of batteries supplied into the Ontario market.
- Annual resource recovery requirement: The weight of batteries producers are required to collect and recycle, reuse or refurbish.
- Recovery requirement reduction: Reduction to the overall recovery requirement as determined by the weight of post-consumer recycled content (content that was recovered from products or packaging after use by consumers) contained in batteries.
The data on this page was finalized on March 3, 2025, and the data reported is subject to change. This page will be updated annually with the most accurate data RPRA has available to publish at the time. Published reports do not contain commercially sensitive information.
Batteries supplied into Ontario
Obligated producers of batteries began reporting their annual supply of batteries into Ontario to RPRA in 2020.
The annual weight of single-use batteries is reported to RPRA after a one-year lag, and the annual weight of rechargeable batteries is reported to RPRA after a two-year lag, as shown in the tables below.
Single-use batteries
| Year batteries were supplied into Ontario | Year data was reported to RPRA |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 |
| 2022 | 2023 |
| 2021 | 2022 |
| 2020 | 2021 |
| 2018 and 2019 | 2020 |
Rechargeable batteries
| Year batteries were supplied into Ontario | Year data was reported to RPRA |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 2024 |
| 2021 | 2023 |
| 2020 | 2022 |
| 2019 | 2021 |
| 2018 | 2020 |
Single-use batteries supplied into Ontario from
2018 – 2023
Rechargeable batteries supplied into Ontario from 2018 – 2022
Batteries recovered
Producers of batteries are required to report the weight of recovered resources from processing batteries to RPRA annually.
Recovering batteries means collecting end-of-life and/or discarded batteries and refurbishing them or breaking them down into their component parts or materials for recycling or reuse.
To date, RPRA has the following single-use and rechargeable battery recovery data:
| Year batteries were recovered | Year recovery data was reported to RPRA |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 |
| 2022 | 2023 |
| July 1, 2020 – December 31, 2021 | 2022 |
Batteries recovered from 2020 – 2023 compared with resource recovery requirements and recovery rates
Single-use batteries
Rechargeable batteries
The Batteries Regulation required producers to make “best efforts” to meet the 40% recovery rate requirements in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In determining whether an obligated producer used best efforts to meet their management requirements, RPRA considers whether the producer, acting in good faith, took all reasonable steps to meet the requirements outlined in the Batteries Regulation. Read about RPRA’s inspection of battery producers’ compliance with the 2022 resource recovery requirements here.
To review batteries recovered by category, download the data here.
Recovery requirement reductions
The overall recovery requirement can be reduced by up to 50% by the weight of post-consumer recycled content. The weight of post-consumer recycled content must be verified in accordance with the Batteries Verification and Audit Procedure.
| Type | Year batteries were supplied into Ontario | Recycled content in tonnes* |
|---|---|---|
| Single-use batteries | 2018 | 3.87 |
| 2019 | 3.01 | |
| 2020 | 3.23 | |
| 2021 | 0.89 | |
| 2022 | 1.26 | |
| 2023 | 0.99 | |
| Rechargeable batteries | 2018 | 36.32 |
| 2019 | 0.08 | |
| 2020 | 1.53 | |
| 2021 | 0.30 | |
| 2022 | 0.59 |
*Tonnes of recycled content is reported to RPRA along with overall supply weight.
Batteries recovered per Ontario household
The below illustration shows the approximate number of batteries supplied and recovered per Ontario household in 2023 (the last year for which RPRA has recovery data for batteries). Recovered batteries are shown in green.
Notes:
- Our analysis relies on the 2021 Statistics Canada Census, which provides the most recent comprehensive count of households in Ontario. According to the 2021 Census, Ontario had approximately 5,491,201 households. Using this figure, we’ve calculated the average amount of batteries recovered per household, presented in both weight and a more relatable equivalent: the number of AA batteries.
- These figures represent provincial averages and may not reflect individual household recycling habits.
Report available for download
The batteries supply and recovery data available on this webpage can be downloaded here.
View our resource recovery reports webpage for more information on other programs RPRA oversees.