As of July 1, 2020, producers are required to establish and operate a collection system for their single-use (primary) or rechargeable batteries in Ontario. Producers should reference the Battery Collection Systems compliance bulletin for guidance.

Collection Sites

Producers must ensure that consumers can drop off batteries free of charge at each site that is part of their collection system and satisfy the following requirements:

• If the battery collection site is not part of a retail location, it must accept all batteries.
• If the battery collection site is part of a retail location it must accept, at a minimum, all batteries that are of a similar size, function and category of batteries sold at the location.
• The battery collection site must be readily accessible to the public.
• If the battery collection site is not a municipality or First Nation, it must be operated and accept batteries during normal business hours throughout the performance year.
• Municipal and First Nation collection sites are permitted to operate seasonally or for a limited number of days per week.
• The battery collection site must accept, at a minimum, up to 15kg of batteries per day from any person.

Producers can reduce their accessibility requirements by providing options such as curbside collection, mail back programs, or collection events.

Call-in collection

For First Nation reserves, Ontario Crown sites, and municipal sites located in municipalities with a population less than 1,000, the following requirements apply:

• Once the site has one tonne of used batteries, they may notify a PRO or a large producer for pick up.
• The batteries must be collected within one year from notification.

For First Nation reserves located in the Far North, PROs or producers must make reasonable efforts to pick up the batteries within one year of being notified.

Management Requirements

Producers must ensure that every battery picked up from a collection site, regardless of whether it is part of the producer’s collection system, is managed (reused, refurbished, or processed) within three months of the pickup date.

Starting in 2025 and onward, every obligated producer shall meet a combined management requirement for all battery categories. For the 2025 performance period every obligated producer shall ensure that at least 45% of batteries they supplied into Ontario are reused, refurbished, or recycled. The amount of recovered resources should equal or exceed a producer’s management requirement, which is calculated based on the average of batteries supplied over three years. For more information on minimum management requirements for future years, review this FAQ.

Producers or PROs on their behalf can work with registered battery processors listed on RPRA’s website to meet their management requirements. View the list of battery processors here.

Recovered resources are:

• materials used or destined to be used by a person for the making of new products or packaging
• materials used to enrich soil
• materials used as aggregate (up to a 15% of management requirement)

Materials that are not considered recovered (cannot count toward performance) include:

• materials that are land disposed
• materials that are incinerated or used as fuel or a fuel supplement
• materials that are stored, stockpiled, used as a daily landfill cover or otherwise deposited on land

Working with PROs

Producers have the choice of establishing and operating their own collection and management systems or working with one or more producer responsibility organizations (PROs) registered with RPRA to meet their obligations.

A PRO is a business established to contract with producers to provide collection and management and administrative services to help producers meet their regulatory obligations under the Batteries Regulation, including:

• Arranging the establishment or operation of battery collection and management systems (hauling, recycling, reuse or refurbishment services)
• Establishing or operating a collection or management system
• Preparing and submitting reports

PROs operate in a competitive market and producers can choose the PRO (or PROs) they want to work with. The terms and conditions of each contract with a PRO may vary. Registered PROs are listed here.

Under the Batteries Regulation, battery producers are required to register with RPRA within 30 days of marketing batteries in Ontario.

Register

Have questions about registration? View the following resources:

• Am I a battery producer?
• How do I determine if I am an exempt battery producer?
• What information is required for producers of batteries to register with the Authority?
• Review our Supply Data Reporting Guide to learn how to register
• FAQs

Collection activity report

As of August 1, collection activities must be regularly updated in the Registry. For more information and step-by-step instructions on how to report collection activities,  read our guide.

Annual Supply Reporting

Each year, battery producers must submit the following information in RPRA’s Registry about the batteries they supplied in Ontario:

• The weight of single-use batteries supplied into Ontario in the previous calendar year
• If applicable, the weight of post-consumer recycled content contained in the batteries supplied in Ontario in the previous calendar year
• Provide a list of brands that make up the single-use batteries supplied into Ontario in the previous calendar year
• The weight of rechargeable batteries supplied into Ontario two years prior
• If applicable, the weight of post-consumer recycled content contained in the batteries supplied in Ontario two years prior
• Provide a list of brands that make up the rechargeable batteries supplied into Ontario two years prior

Supply data must be submitted in accordance with the Batteries Verification and Audit Procedure. Starting in 2023 and every year thereafter, verification of supply data and post-consumer recycled content is only required for large producers, as defined in the Batteries Verification and Audit Procedure. Small producers will no longer be required to submit a verification report but will be subject to inspections. Verification requirements are outlined in Appendix C of the Batteries Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.

Note: For the purposes of supply reporting verification, the definition of small and large producer is different than the definition in the Batteries Regulation. View this FAQ to determine if you are a small or large battery producer.

Have questions about supply data reporting? View the following resources:

• What batteries need to be reported?
• Review our Supply Data Reporting Guide to learn how to report your data

Deadline: Battery supply reporting is due April 30 of each year.

Annual Performance Reporting

For the 2024 performance period, producers are required to ensure that at least 45% of batteries supplied into Ontario are processed, refurbished or reused. For more information on minimum management requirements for future years, review this FAQ.

Each year, producers, or PROs on their behalf, will have to report on the extent to which they were able to achieve their management requirement.

Producers, or PROs on their behalf, are required to report the following information annually in the Registry:

• Total weight of single-use and rechargeable batteries collected
• Total weight of single-use and rechargeable batteries that were refurbished
• Total weight of materials recovered from processing the collected single-use and rechargeable batteries (e.g. metals, chemicals, etc.)

Most producers will work with a PRO to meet their mandatory collection and management requirements. If you have not yet contracted with a PRO, it is important that you do so as soon as possible to ensure that you can meet your obligations. In order for a PRO to report on your behalf, you must identify them in RPRA’s Registry. Learn more about PROs here.

A PRO may submi the performance report on your behalf, but it remains the producer’s responsibility to ensure their report in submitted by the deadline.

Beginning in 2025, producers or PROs reporting on their behalf, will be required to submit an audit verifying their performance reporting. More information about performance audit requirements will be communicated later this year when the procedure is finalized. Learn more.

Deadline: Battery performance reporting is due April 30 of each year.