The Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 designates information technology, telecommunications, audio-visual (ITT/AV) and lighting equipment as the third and fourth materials after tires and batteries under Ontario’s individual producer responsibility regulatory framework.
Individual producer responsibility makes producers accountable for their products and packaging once consumers are finished with them; sets mandatory and enforceable requirements for resource recovery; and gives producers choices for resource recovery services in a competitive market.
As of January 1, 2021, following the wind up of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Program operated by the industry funding organization Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) on December 31, 2020, ITT/AV producers are individually accountable and financially responsible for collecting and reusing, refurbishing or recycling their products when consumers discard them.
OES did not operate a program for lighting and the responsibilities for lighting do not come into effect until January 1, 2023 with producers and services providers of lighting registering with the Authority by November 30, 2022. More information will be made available on lighting in the future.
Information technology, telecommunications, audio-visual equipment (ITT/AV)
ITT/AV is equipment that has a primary purpose of collecting, storing, processing, presenting or communicating information, including sounds and images, recording or reproducing sounds and images. ITT/AV includes equipment supplied into any sector (e.g., residential, business, hospital, institutional, commercial, industrial, etc.) and includes any batteries supplied with the ITT/AV (i.e., in packaging or in product).
Requirements
- Producers to establish and operate systems to collect and manage ITT/AV discarded by consumers starting January 1, 2021
- ITT/AV producers to register with the Authority by January 31, 2021
- Producers, or producer responsibility organizations (PROs) on their behalf, to report annually on performance to the Authority starting in 2022 for ITT/AV
After November 30, 2020, haulers, processors and refurbishers must register with the Authority within 30 days of transporting or processing ITT/AV.
PROs will need to register within 30 days of being retained by a producer. To assist ITT/AV producers in identifying the PROs they want to work with to meet their collection and management requirements that begin on January 1, 2021, ITT/AV PROs are encouraged to register with the Authority as soon as possible.
There are no registration and reporting requirements for First Nations, municipalities or other EEE collectors under the EEE Regulation.
How does the EEE Regulation affect you?
Click the headings below to learn more about your requirements.
Wind up of the WEEE Program
The WEEE Program was operated by OES who was responsible for electronics recycling in Ontario on behalf of the electronics industry. The program ended on December 31, 2020, and on January 1, 2021, ITT/AV and lighting moved to the new individual producer responsibility framework.