Environmental Handling Fees FAQ

January 1, 2018

Quebec and Manitoba only. British Columbia is excluded.

The reason for the new EHFs is two-fold:

The addition of EHFs on the sale of certain products containing batteries is part of a step-by-step approach Call2Recycle is taking toward greater compliance to provincial regulations. The regulations of Quebec and Manitoba state that all residential batteries sold in their respective marketplaces must be captured by a stewardship program—whether primary or rechargeable, sold separately or embedded, or whether used by a residential customer base or by an ICI customer base.

Call2Recycle Canada has been collecting and recycling dry cell batteries weighing less than 5 kg since 1997, irrespective of chemistry (primary or rechargeable) or origin (whether sold separately or embedded, or whether used by a residential customer base or by an ICIC customer base). Since the inception of the provincial programs, we have seen considerable growth in collection and recycling activity. Charging EHFs on the sale of certain products containing batteries is also part of Call2Recycle’s strategy to ensure long-term financial stability.

The corresponding EHF Schedule is outlined below.

Please note that the applicable EHF is per product, regardless of the number of batteries included or the chemistry of the batteries. Call2Recycle believes the rationale for this fee structure encompasses both practicality and ease of implementation.

The three product categories were chosen based on the fact that the product category exists in other EPR programs and has a mass appeal/customer recognition.

Yes. Please refer to the updated Product Clarification Guide, which will be posted to the Call2Recycle website on September 1, 2017.

If you have questions prior to or after the guide is posted, please contact Line Berube [email protected]  (438) 448-4270.

In order to ensure both compliance with provincial regulation and the long-term financial stability of the Call2Recycle program, additional product categories may be introduced in the future.

Should additional product categories be introduced, Call2Recycle will follow the guiding principles of fairness, transparency, ease of implementation, as well as clear and timely communication.

Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. works on behalf of stakeholders to provide its battery recycling program, Call2Recycle^®, to consumers across Canada.  Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. is the approved battery stewardship organization in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec.

An Environmental Handling Fee or EHF is a fee that is representative of the actual cost to collect, handle, transport and responsibly recycle batteries at the end of life. EHFs collected are also used for public education and to further expand program awareness to ensure batteries do not enter the waste stream.

Call2Recycle’s mission is and continues to be responsibly managing the end-of-life of batteries to keep them out of landfills and minimize environmental impact. Over the past 20 years, we have learned that the best way to achieve this goal and encourage participation is by offering a robust, convenient program where consumers can easily recycle their batteries.

In order for Call2Recycle to continue to run our industry leading program and implement continuous program enhancements, we have made the decision to follow industry best practices and implement an Environmental Handling Fee (EHF). These actions will ensure our collection and recycling program remains sustainable while continuing to meet the highest environmental standards.

As part of our commitment to delivering an industry leading stewardship program we continually evaluate how we can do better. We’ve found that not only is this prudent financially to ensure our program can continue to operate at the highest standards, this approach follows industry best practices and is consistent with other stewardship programs across select provinces.

Fees are calculated based on the cost to collect and manage batteries generated within each province. Given the regional differences (such as geography, population, location of collection sites and processors), program costs vary between provinces.

The EHFs are remitted by the obligated party which can be a retailer, wholesaler, distributor or manufacturer.  It is at the discretion of the obligated party to determine whether to pass along the EHFs to consumers. The fee may be visible or hidden depending on the jurisdiction.

EHFs will not be introduced outside of BC, MB, and QC at this time; however, with support from battery and battery-powered product manufacturers Call2Recycle will continue to collect and recycle batteries.

To help determine whether your entity is the obligated party, please review the provincial regulations:

• Manitoba Household Hazardous Material Regulation
• British Columbia Recycling Regulation
• Quebec Regulation Respecting the Recovery and Reclamation of Products by Enterprises.  
• If you need further assistance, we encourage you to use the prepared decision tree you can find in our GreenTrax Portal.

As an existing member, please log into GreenTrax to declare your obligation for other provinces.

Call2Recycle is the approved stewardship program in BC, MB, and QC for consumer/household batteries. We collect dry-cell batteries including:

• Lithium Ion
• Nickel Cadmium
• Nickel Metal Hydride
• Nickel Zinc
• Alkaline
• Lithium Primary
• Silver Oxide
• Zinc Air
• Zinc Carbon
• Zinc Chloride

Yes, please refer to Call2Recycle’s fee schedule and product guide to help you determine which products are subject to an EHF

As soon as possible. BC/MB EHF implementation and the QC rate adjustment are effective on February 1, 2017.

If you are a member in Quebec and wish to register for other jurisdictions, please visit our GreenTrax reporting portal. If this is your first time registering with Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. please visit our Member Registration page

Reporting occurs monthly.

Information can be found in the Rules and Policies.

Information can be found in the Rules and Policies.

Upon registration as a Call2Recycle Canada Member, you will gain access to Call2Recycle’s reporting portal, GreenTrax,

You may choose to enter into a Contributor by Proxy Agreement.

This proxy agreement, which is a voluntary agreement between two parties, will provide satisfactory evidence for Call2Recycle in the case that one party agrees to report data and remit sales on behalf of an obligated party.