On Dec. 1, 2011, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment held a public workshop on its recycling regulations. Effective July 1, 2012, the province of British Columbia will require manufacturers of air conditioning, heating, water heating, and refrigeration products doing business in the province to take Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the life cycle management of their products. This EPR includes collection and recycling at the end of the product’s useful life.

The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) collaborated to develop a general industry stewardship plan to respond to the regulation. This plan has been filed with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and was reviewed at the workshop. AHRI reported that initial feedback from the ministry has been positive, and based on the comments received, a revised plan will be submitted by the end of the year.

Publication date: 12/19/2011