Product Care Recycling

What Product Care Recycling does

Product Care Recycling is a federally incorporated Canadian not-for-profit organization that operates Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recycling programs on behalf of more than 700 member producers of paint, lighting products, household hazardous waste (HHW), and smoke/CO alarms. Founded in 1994 in British Columbia as Paint Care in response to BC's pioneering paint EPR regulation — the first program of its kind in Canada — the organization has progressively expanded its geographic footprint and product scope and was renamed Product Care Recycling in 2024 to reflect its broader mandate. It now operates active programs in nine Canadian provinces (BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, PEI, NS, NL), with a Yukon program in active development.

The core operational stack consists of five regulated product programs: the Paint Recycling Program (latex, oil-based paints, primers, aerosols, empty cans), the Lights Recycling Program (CFLs, fluorescent tubes; formerly branded LightRecycle), the HHW/HSP Program (pesticides, flammables, corrosives, solvents, toxics), the Smoke and CO Alarms Program (currently BC), and a Quebec-specific Non-Refillable Pressurized Fuel Containers Program launched June 30, 2024. Material recovery and reuse is enabled through authorized third-party processors and the PaintShare sub-brand, which redistributes leftover paint free of charge to community members. The technical foundation is a logistics and collection network spanning 200–400+ drop-off sites per province — including bottle depots, municipal facilities, and retail partners — supported by an online recycling locator tool and member EHF reporting portals. 2024 operational throughput included 8.5 million litres of paint, 14.5 million light bulbs, and 133,923 smoke/CO alarms (BC only) diverted from landfill.

Product Care Recycling is funded entirely through Environmental Handling Fees (EHFs) collected from member producers per unit sold, with fees typically embedded in retail product pricing; all consumer-facing services are free. Commercial and institutional generators of qualifying volumes can arrange free bulk pickup. The Board of Directors comprises representatives from major industry players including Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, The Home Depot, Rona, Home Hardware, Cloverdale Paint, Rust-Oleum, Liteline, Satco, and Scotts Canada, while operational service partners include SARCAN Recycling, IWMC, Recycle New Brunswick, Divert Nova Scotia, MMSB, and RecycFluo. With 51–100 employees and operations headquartered in Delta, BC, Product Care Recycling functions as the de facto national product-stewardship infrastructure for hazardous consumer products in Canada.

Name

Product Care Recycling

Legal name

Product Care Association of Canada

Website

https://productcare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Product Care Recycling is a Canadian federally incorporated not-for-profit that operates Extended Producer Responsibility recycling programs for paint, lighting, household hazardous waste, and smoke/CO alarms on behalf of 700+ member producers across nine provinces, funded by environmental handling fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Product Stewardship and Recycling Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-Waste (WEEE) Collection, Refurbishment & Recycling (IMAIAFAH), Recycling & E-Waste Collection/Hauling (HSAKALAJ), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG)

Keywords

• Product stewardship services
• Extended producer responsibility
• Household hazardous waste recycling
• Consumer drop-off recycling
• Environmental handling fees

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Environmental Handling Fees (EHF): Product Care Recycling is funded by membership fees from over 700 producers of regulated products. Members remit environmental handling fees per unit sold to fund collection, transportation, processing, administration, and education programs. The fees are built into product prices at time of sale, sometimes shown as separate 'eco fee' on receipts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Product Care Recycling operates Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs that provide free drop-off recycling services for paint, light bulbs, household hazardous waste (HHW), and smoke/CO alarms across Canadian provinces. The organization is funded by Environmental Handling Fees (EHF) remitted by more than 700 member producers of regulated products, with the fees built into product prices at the point of sale.

Product overview

Product Care Recycling is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization offering product stewardship services across Canada. The company operates a portfolio of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) recycling programs: Paint Recycling (accepting latex, oil-based paint, primers, aerosols, and empty cans), Lights Recycling (formerly LightRecycle, accepting CFLs, fluorescent tubes, and other light bulbs), HHW/HSP (accepting pesticides, flammable liquids, corrosives, toxics, and solvents), Smoke and CO Alarms Recycling, and Non-Refillable Pressurized Fuel Containers (in Quebec). Additionally, the PaintShare program enables free redistribution of quality leftover paint to communities. All programs are funded by environmental handling fees from member producers and are free for consumers to use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PaintShare: A free program that helps Canadians pick up leftover paint collected at participating paint recycling locations. Paint is shared on an as-is, as-available basis.
• LightRecycle

Products and services

• Paint Recycling Program A provincial recycling program providing free drop-off locations for leftover latex and oil-based paint, primers, coatings, aerosols, and empty paint cans. Diverted over 8.5 million litres of paint from landfills in 2024. Available in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland & Labrador.
• Lights Recycling Program A recycling program (formerly LightRecycle) that recovers glass, metal, and phosphor powder from old light bulbs and tubes including CFLs and fluorescent tubes. Diverted over 14.5 million light bulbs from landfills in 2024. Operates in BC, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec (RecycFluo), New Brunswick, PEI, and Nova Scotia.
• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW/HSP) Program A recycling program for household hazardous waste including flammables, gasoline, pesticides, toxics, corrosives, and solvents. Materials are managed through energy recovery, incineration, or neutralization. Operates in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Yukon.
• Smoke and CO Alarms Recycling Program A recycling program for smoke alarms (photoelectric and ionization) and carbon monoxide alarms. Operates in British Columbia.
• PaintShare A free program that allows Canadians to pick up leftover paint collected at participating paint recycling locations. Paint is shared on an as-is, as-available basis with no limits on quantity.
• Quebec Non-Refillable Pressurized Fuel Containers Program A Quebec program for recycling non-refillable pressurized fuel containers including butane, isobutane, propane, and MAPP cylinders and cartridges. Consumers can drop off containers for free at recycling locations across Quebec.
• Commercial Recycling Pick-Up Services Free recycling pick-up services across Canada for businesses, institutions, and organizations with large volumes of household paint, light bulbs, or smoke/CO alarms. Includes bulk paint pickup (minimum 100 one-gallon cans or 20 five-gallon pails) and light bulb pickup (minimum one full pallet).

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.5 million litres of paint diverted from landfills in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SARCAN RecyclingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSARCAN Recycling is Product Care's primary partner for paint and HHW recycling in Saskatchewan. Together they operate over 70 recycling locations across the province, with SARCAN managing collection facilities and supporting the PaintShare program for free paint redistribution.
• Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIWMC operates collection facilities for Product Care's paint and lights recycling programs in Prince Edward Island. IWMC handles the physical infrastructure while Product Care manages program operations and promotional activities.
• Recycle New BrunswickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct Care delivers paint and lamp recycling programs in partnership with Recycle New Brunswick. Collection sites include retail locations, Regional Service Commissions, and beverage container redemption centres.
• Divert Nova ScotiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivert Nova Scotia partnered with Product Care in 2012 to manage Nova Scotia's paint recycling program. Product Care assumed full responsibility while Divert NS continues as a partner for program support and provincial coordination.
• MMSB (Municipalities Newfoundland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMMSB oversees Product Care's paint recycling program in Newfoundland and Labrador, providing regulatory oversight and supporting the collection network across government facilities, Green Depots, and select retailers.
• RecycFluocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecycFluo is the Quebec light recycling program operated by Product Care since 2012. It manages mercury-containing light bulb and fluorescent tube collection through a network of over 400 collection sites across Quebec.
• The Recycling Council of British Columbia (RCBC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRCBC provides information and support for products not accepted in Product Care's BC programs. RCBC serves as a resource for BC residents seeking information about other recycling options.
• Authorized Light Processing FacilitiescoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorized processors handle light bulbs dropped off at recycling locations. They sort lights by type, process them to recover glass, metal, and mercury components, and ensure safe disposal of hazardous materials.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Recycle BC: British Columbia's residential packaging and paper recycling PRO, operating under BC EPR regulation with a producer-funded model analogous to Product Care's paint and HHW programs in the same province.
• Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM): Manitoba's producer-funded PRO that historically managed packaging and HHW stewardship in the same province where Product Care operates paint, lights, and HHW recycling programs.
• Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA): Alberta's producer-governed not-for-profit responsible for managing recycling programs including HHW — a natural partner/peer as EPR regulations expand into the same product categories Product Care handles in other provinces.
• Call2Recycle Canada: Canadian EPR stewardship organization for batteries and cellphones, operating under the same provincial regulatory model and funded by producer EHF-style fees — the closest direct peer in structure and funding mechanics.
• Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA): Canadian not-for-profit PRO managing end-of-life electronics recycling under provincial EPR regulations, with overlapping collection infrastructure and producer-funded governance model.
• Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA): Industry-funded organization that coordinates EPR program delivery across multiple Canadian provinces for packaging and printed paper, sharing the same producer-fee structure and stewardship plan regulatory framework as Product Care.
• Stewardship Ontario: Ontario-based industry-funded organization operating Blue Box and other EPR programs under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act — directly comparable provincial EPR steward for packaging and similar materials.

Regional players

• SARCAN Recycling: Saskatchewan's province-wide beverage container and paint/HHW collection network; Product Care's primary operational partner in Saskatchewan with overlapping service mandate under provincial EPR.
• Éco Entreprises Québec: Quebec's PRO responsible for compensating municipalities for curbside recycling and managing EPR for packaging; operates in the same province where Product Care runs RecycFluo and the paint/HHW programs.

Broad incumbents

• TerraCycle: Global recycling company operating EPR-style and brand-funded programs for hard-to-recycle waste streams; comparable as a for-profit counterpart in producer-funded recycling, though operating internationally rather than within Canada's EPR framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProductCareCAN
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProductCareRecycling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/productcarerecycling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Product Care Recycling