With the Ontario government’s direction that the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) Program will be extended to September 30, 2021, AMS will continue its current Industry Stewardship Plan (ISP) for recycling antifreeze, oil containers and oil filters until the Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) Regulation takes effect October 1, 2021.

As a result of the April 29 direction letter from the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks adjusting the HSP transition date from July 1, 2021, the AMS Board has taken the necessary steps to revise the Membership Agreement and to approve fee rates for the Q2 sales period (April 1 to June 30) under the ISP.

The revisions to the Membership Agreement enable AMS to set fees under the ISP on short notice to accommodate the new transition timelines set by the Minister while also introducing language that automatically terminates the ISP agreements upon the eventual wind up of the MHSW Program, anticipated in 2022.

Fee schedule for 2021 Q2 sales period

The table below provides net rate fee rates for the 2021 Q2 sales period, along with fee details for Q1 and Q2. Reports for Q2 sales quantities must be submitted to the WeRecycle Portal by July 31 and invoices will be issued August 2.

Fee rates under the ISP for the Q2 sales period were not set previously as it was expected that the August 2 invoices would be issued pursuant to the new regulatory framework.

All materials have benefited from fee reductions during the past year from the application of MHSW Program non-restricted reserves received in 2020 from Stewardship Ontario. These reserves have been depleted for oil containers and antifreeze. Remaining reserves for oil filters have been applied to fee reductions for Q2 sales. Upon wind up, any residual funds will be distributed to AMS members in accordance with their market share. Please see the AMS website for further information about fees and fee reductions.

Regulatory transition

The final HSP Regulation is expected to be published in late spring and will detail producers’ new obligations.

The ISP operated by AMS will end once the MHSW Program operated by Stewardship Ontario is finally wound up as detailed in the approved MHSW Program Wind Up Plan. Producers of antifreeze, oil containers and oil filters need to remain in good standing with either the AMS ISP or Stewardship Ontario MHSW Program until the termination of the MHSW Program, which will create some parallel obligations for a period of time.

AMS will continue providing producers with efficient services during the transition to the new regulation and intends to deliver services as a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to assist stewards in meeting their new responsibilities. Details will follow that clarify actions producers can take to transition to the new PRO service offering.

We look forward to keeping you informed in the weeks ahead and welcome your questions: 1-888-575-4870 or stewards@autostewardship.ca.