Provincial take back programs

In BC, producers of regulated products are responsible for managing their products' lifecycle as part of an industry-led approach called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Learn more on the Government of BC's Producer responsibilities and EPR plan development webpage.

The Recycling Council of BC's Recyclopedia provides detailed information about where recycling materials belong. Or call the BC recycling hotline at 1-800-667-4321.

Mandatory recyclables

The following items are banned from landfills and are regulated by current provincial EPR plans.

• Batteries - call2recycle.ca
• Electronics - recyclemyelectronics.ca
• Large appliances - marrbc.ca
• Lead-acid batteries - canadianbatteryassociation.ca
• Lighting equipment - productcare.org/lights
• Outdoor power equipment - opeic.ca
• Paint and household hazardous waste - productcare.org
• Pharmaceuticals - healthsteward.ca
• Ready-to-drink beverage containers - return-it.ca
• Refillable alcoholic beverage containers - envirobeerbc.ca
• Residential packaging and paper products - recyclebc.ca
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms - productcare.org/alarms
• Technology and telecommunications - BC stewardship plans and reports: telus.com
• Thermostats - hrai.ca/trp
• Tires - tsbc.ca
• Used oil and anitfreeze - interchangerecycling.com (formerly BC Used Oil Management Association)

Household hazardous waste

Many household items can be dangerous if disposed of improperly. Products that contain toxic, flammable, corrosive or reactive components are considered household hazardous waste (HHW). Look for the symbols below or the words Danger, Warning, or Caution on product labels or to help you identify hazardous products.

These items never belong in your curbside cart.