Lighting Collection Site Operators

Questions about the Lighting Program?

We have answers! Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.

 

If you are a First Nation community or municipality that collects lighting at a depot or through collection events or if you are a retailer or organization that provides collection boxes at your location, you do not have registration or reporting requirements under the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation as a collector. You may have responsibilities if you are a collector or generator who is also a producer, hauler, processor or refurbisher. Lighting producers are responsible for collecting and reusing, refurbishing or recycling their products when consumers discard them.

Starting January 1, 2023, producers of lighting must meet accessibility requirements to ensure residents across the province can safely dispose of their used lighting. They have the choice to set up their own collection networks or work with a producer responsibility organization (PRO) to set up a collection network on their behalf.

Producers, or PROs on their behalf, will contract with haulers who arrange for the transport of lighting from collection sites. While producers and PROs are required to report the location of the collection sites in their network to RPRA, there is no registration or reporting requirements for municipalities or collection site operators.

There is no requirement for a retailer, organization, First Nation community or municipality to facilitate collection services under the EEE Regulation.

Click on the links to learn more about the specific requirements for:

Click the headings below to learn more about the responsibilities of a collection site.

If First Nation communities, municipalities or other collection site operators want to collect used lighting as a service to customers or residents, they need to ensure their sites are included in a collection network.

Most producers will be working with service providers, such as PROs, haulers, refurbishers or processors, to set up their collection networks. First Nation communities, municipalities, and collection site operators should contact a service provider registered with RPRA. A list of registered service providers will be available after registration closes November 30, 2022.

Since producers can reduce their accessibility requirements by providing options such as curbside collection or collection events, municipalities and First Nations communities will also need to contact a service provider if they are interested in providing these services to their residents.

For lighting collected from a collection site to count towards a producer’s management requirement, the site must accept lighting free of charge and satisfy the following additional requirements:

  • If the lighting collection site is not part of a retail location, it must accept all lighting.
  • If the site is part of a retail location, it must accept (at a minimum) all lighting that are of a similar size and function 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 5 kg of lighting per day from any person.
  • If the site is not part of a retail location and accepts more than 5 kg of lighting from a person on a single day, the site operator must record the person’s name, contact information, any unique identifier assigned by the Registrar and the weight of lighting accepted.

Haulers, refurbishers or processors who pick up and process used lighting for a producer, must be registered with RPRA in order for the lighting they transport and process to count towards a producer’s management requirement.

Municipalities with a population of less than 1,000, First Nation community or Ontario crown collection sites can contact a producer or a PRO to arrange a pick-up once they collect three hundred kilograms of lighting. The producer or PRO must collect the lighting within one year from the time the request is made. This requirement does not apply to collection sites operated in the Far North.

Have a question?

Contact our Compliance and Registry Team at registry@rpra.ca or 1-833-600-0530.