Battery Producers

As of July 1, 2020, producers are required to establish and operate a collection system for their single-use (primary) or rechargeable batteries and 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 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 site must be readily accessible to the public and operate during normal business hours
• The site must accept, at a minimum, up to 15kg of batteries per day from any person
• If the site is not part of a retail location and accepts more than 15 kg of batteries from a person on a single day, the site operator must record the person’s name, contact information and the weight of batteries accepted

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

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.

From July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022, every producer shall make best efforts to meet their management requirements, as calculated in the Batteries Regulation. This means that producers must make best efforts to reuse, refurbish, or recycle 40% of the batteries they supply in Ontario.

To meet their management requirements, Producers can only use a battery processor that is registered with the Authority (unless they are exempt) and meets the recycling efficiency rate (RER) requirements set out in the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.

The Regulation defines recovered resources as:

• 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% max)

The following do not count as recovered resources:

• 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

It is important to note that management requirements will be confirmed during producer registration in November 2020. This means that producers have to engage in five months of collection and resource recovery activities starting in July 2020, prior to confirming their requirements at registration. It will be important for battery producers to ensure that, at a minimum, they have interim contractual arrangements in place with service providers to cover this five-month period prior to registration in November 2020.

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 the Authority 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.

From July 2020 to December 2022, producers are required to (at a minimum):

• Make reasonable efforts to raise public awareness of battery recovery and reasonable efforts to encourage public participation
• Publish information on their website about collection locations, collection services, and recovery activities

A producer who marketed single-use or rechargeable batteries in Ontario between January 1, 2018, and November 30, 2020, must register with the Authority by January 31, 2021. Otherwise, a producer must register with the Authority within 30 days of marketing batteries in Ontario.

To register:

Click on the link below to download the registration form and email it as an attachment to registry@rpra.ca.

• Battery producer registration form

Our team can assist in determining whether you have registration obligations under the EEE or Batteries Regulations and what data you need to report.

Contact us at registry@rpra.ca or call 647-496-0530 or toll-free 1-833-600-0530.

As part of their registration, producers must submit the following information:

• Name and contact information
• Type of batteries marketed in Ontario
• The weight of single-use batteries supplied in 2018 and 2019. The supply data must be submitted in accordance with the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.
• If applicable, the weight of post-consumer recycled content contained in the single-use batteries supplied in Ontario in 2018 and 2019
• The weight of rechargeable batteries supplied in 2018. The supply data must be submitted in accordance with the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit
• If applicable, the weight of post-consumer recycled content contained in the rechargeable batteries supplied in Ontario in 2018

Collection and Management System Reporting

Battery producers, or the PRO acting on their behalf, are required to establish and operate a collection and management system and report the following information to the Authority by April 30, 2021:

• The location of every collection site in their system
• A description of their collection services
• Every hauler, processor or refurbisher that is part of their collection system

If you are a battery producer who has contracted a PRO to report your collection and management systems, your PRO will submit this information to the Authority. Producers without a PRO can obtain the collection and management system report template they will need to complete by contacting registry@rpra.ca or 647-496-0530 or toll-free 1-833-600-0530.

Annual Supply Data Reporting

In 2021, producers must submit the following information about the batteries they supplied in Ontario:

• The weight of single-use batteries supplied in 2020
• If applicable, weight of single-use batteries and the weight (if any), of post-consumer recycled content contained in the batteries supplied in Ontario for 2020
• The weight of rechargeable batteries supplied in 2019
• If applicable, weight of rechargeable batteries and the weight (if any), of post-consumer recycled content contained in the batteries supplied in Ontario for 2019

Supply data must be submitted in accordance with the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.

Verification of supply data and post-consumer recycled content is required starting in 2022 and is required every year thereafter. Verification requirements are outlined in the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.

Annual Performance Reporting

Beginning in 2022, producers or PROs on their behalf must report on their performance for the previous performance period (July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, is the first performance period), including the weight of batteries recycled, reused and refurbished. There is no audit required for the first performance period (July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021).

Beginning in 2024, producers (or PROs on their behalf), will be required to submit an audit verifying their performance reporting. The first audit, due in 2024, will be verifying performance for 2022 and 2023.

Performance is audited every three years for the previous three performance periods, meaning the second audit will be due in 2027 (for the performance years 2024, 2025 and 2026).

The audit must be conducted in accordance with the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit.