Electronics and Electronic Equipment are next to the plate in Ontario’s quest for a Circular Economy

It’s a pivotal time for producers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in Ontario. As of January 1, 2021, information technology, telecommunications, audio-visual (ITT/AV) producers are individually accountable and financially responsible for collecting and reusing, refurbishing or recycling their products when consumers discard them.

This is part of a new regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016. This regulation replaces the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Program operated by the industry funding organization Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES).

The products that fall under these requirements are vast and Konmari friendly (if it no longer sparks joy, discard properly or send it to a company that will give it a second life).

By definition, 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. Here’s a list of items that are included:

  • Computers
  • Printers (desktop and floor-standing)
  • Printer cartridges
  • Video gaming devices
  • Telephones, including cellular phones
  • Display devices
  • Radios and stereos, including after-market vehicle stereos
  • Headphones
  • Speakers
  • Cameras, including security cameras
  • Video recorders
  • Drones with audio or visual recording equipment
  • Peripherals and cables used to support the function of information technology, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment, including charging equipment
  • Parts of information technology, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment sold separately, such as hard drives
  • Handheld point-of-sale terminals or devices
  • Musical instruments
  • Audio recording equipment

To meet these requirements, producers must register with the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) on or before January 31, 2021. Producers can self-comply or work with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) like Ryse Solutions.

Need help deciphering these new requirements? Ask some old PRO’s! We have decades of experience with EEE producer responsibility! And, if your products also happen to include batteries, as Canada’s only multi-material PRO, we can help you with that too.

You are legally mandated to comply with EEE regulation. The Ryse team is a PRO, committed to helping you understand your requirements are helping you meet your compliance requirements. They have relationships and direct access to an established network of collection and processing partners.
Contact us. We are ready to help!

Ryse Solutions Inc. works with producers and packaging suppliers to provide compliance, advisory and material recovery solutions to meet ever-changing regulatory and sustainability demands. Our team has over 50 years of collective experience in circular economy solutions, including the design, implementation and management of producer responsibility programs, which cover a broad range of materials, such as tires, waste electronics, hard-to-recycle packaging and batteries. Backed by a well-developed network of collection, processing and end-market assets, we also offer solutions to producers, retailers, manufacturers and packaging suppliers, which include understanding the flow of material in recycling facilities; research and development on the recyclability of consumer plastic packaging and paper products; and, the development and optimization of commodity end markets.