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 reuse, refurbish, or recycle of batteries supplied in Ontario. For more information, review this FAQ.

As of January 1, 2023, producers, or PROs on their behalf, can rely on battery processors listed on RPRA’s website to meet their management requirements that start in 2023. The list will be updated as required. View the list of battery processors here.

If you are a battery processor and are not listed, contact the Compliance and Registry Team at regisry@rpra.ca or 1-833-600-0530.

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 weight)

The following must not be counted towards the management requirement:

• 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 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

Under the Batteries Regulation, battery producers are required to register with the Authority.

Register

Have questions about registration? View the following resources:

• Am I a battery producer?
• Registration checklist
• FAQs

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

Starting in 2021, and every year thereafter, 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.

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

• What batteries need to be reported?

Submit your report

Annual Performance Reporting

Producers are required to make best efforts to ensure that at least 40% of batteries are processed, refurbished or reused. Each year, you or your PRO, will have to report on the extent to which you were able to achieve that target. To learn more about producer management requirements, read the following Compliance Bulletin: Battery Performance Requirements for the Performance Period July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.

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

• Total weight of single-use and rechargeable batteries collected
• Total weight of single-use and rechargeable batteries that were refurbished
• 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. Learn more about PROs here.

If a PRO submits the report on your behalf, as a producer you are legally responsible to meet your requirements under the Batteries Regulation.

Beginning in 2024, producers or PROs reporting 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. There is no audit required for the first performance period of July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021.

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