Thank you for registering with Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) and selecting Product Care Recycling (Product Care) as your Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for the Alberta HSP program launching on April 1, 2025.
Program update
Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation (the Regulation) requires the PRO, on behalf of its HSP producers, to provide service to communities that have registered with ARMA by December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, 180 communities have registered. Unlike other regulated products (such as batteries or lights), collection options outside of local government facilities are limited for HSP. Further, experience has shown that establishing new collection sites is challenging, resource-intensive, and often takes multiple years to establish. For these reasons, Product Care is proceeding to contract and partner with local governments to provide collection services across the province.
Product Care has engaged with the 180 communities over the past several months. Program progress has been slow due to extensive negotiations regarding the compensation for collection services.
Increasingly, local governments expect full cost recovery for their facilities and have high expectations regarding compensation. Our program teams are striving to find a fair and reasonable compensation rate that minimizes price impacts to industry and consumers, while delivering the desired environmental outcomes EPR has been designed to facilitate. We also remain committed to working on behalf of our members in their best interests.
Despite the challenges, Product Care is confident in our ability to meet the April 1 program launch.
Environmental Handling Fees (EHFs)
Product Care’s Board of Directors have approved the following EHF categories and applicable rates for the program, to be effective April 1, 2025. These figures are higher than what members may be accustomed to; the rates are reflective of Alberta’s large collection network (the largest in Canada), and the conversations with municipalities referenced above.
For further details on the Alberta HSP program, please visit the program page at HSP Alberta.
If you have any additional questions, please contact alberta@productcare.org
Sincerely,
The Product Care Team