What Alberta Recycling Management Authority does

Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) is a not-for-profit Delegated Administrative Organization (DAO) established in 1992 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It is designated by the Government of Alberta to design, deliver, and oversee recycling stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs within the province. ARMA currently administers four stewardship programs covering electronics, paint, tires, and used oil materials, supported by a network of 439 collection sites and more than 2,200 participating tire retailers—the third-largest collection network of its kind in Canada. Following the April 2025 launch of EPR Phase I, ARMA's mandate has expanded to include oversight of packaging, paper products, and household hazardous products producers.

ARMA's service ecosystem spans obligated producers, Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), processors, retailers, municipalities, and the public. Reporting, compliance verification, and fee remittance are routed through ARMA's program registries and portals, with reported compliance rates of 94–95% across active programs. The organization operates strategic inter-jurisdictional partnerships, including stewardship program collaboration with the Governments of the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and runs pilots such as the Paint Return-to-Retail initiative with Cloverdale Paint and Sherwin-Williams. ARMA's leadership also holds national influence, exemplified by the December 2025 appointment of its representative as Chair of the Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies (CATRA).

ARMA's business model is funded through environmental fees and surcharges applied to covered products at the point of sale, supplemented by EPR oversight fees collected from obligated producers. As a not-for-profit DAO, ARMA reinvests revenue into program operations, collection infrastructure, processor payments, and public education. The Alberta recycling sector supported by ARMA generates an estimated $700M in annual economic value, though this figure reflects sector-wide activity rather than ARMA revenue. Recent forward-looking priorities include renewable energy equipment recycling (solar panels, EV batteries, wind turbine components) and expansion of the used oil materials program to include automotive fluids.

Name

Alberta Recycling Management Authority

Legal name

Alberta Recycling Management Authority

Website

https://albertarecycling.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) is a not-for-profit Delegated Administrative Organization managing electronics, paint, tire, and used oil recycling plus Extended Producer Responsibility oversight for producers, retailers, and municipalities across Alberta and partner territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Services / Recycling Stewardship Administration

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certified Compliance & Reporting Services (R2/e-Stewards, Audit, ESG) (BPALAIAL), Supply Chain & Product Environmental Compliance (RoHS, WEEE, Packaging EPR, Eco-Design/Labeling Regulations) (EUAHABAJ), Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Extended producer responsibility
• Stewardship recycling programs
• Designated materials recycling
• Producer responsibility oversight
• Environmental fee administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Environmental / Surcharge Fees on Designated Materials: ARMA levies and collects Surcharges (environmental fees) on the sale or supply of designated materials (electronics, paint, tires, used oil materials) in or into Alberta. These funds are used to provide waste minimization and recycling programs, public information programs, collection/transportation/storage/processing/disposal expenditures, and research and development activities.
2. EPR Oversight Fees: Producers contributing designated materials (PPP and HSP) pay oversight fees to ARMA to support the EPR oversight system. Fees include a flat fee component and a variable rate applied to total supply. Oversight fees fund ARMA's regulatory role including registry system development and compliance monitoring. ARMA is a not-for-profit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ARMA operates as a Delegated Administrative Organization for the Government of Alberta, administering four stewardship recycling programs (electronics, paint, tires, used oil materials) and overseeing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, paper products, and hazardous/special products. The organization collects environmental fees on designated materials, registers producers, communities, and PROs, and supports a network of 439+ collection sites across Alberta.

Product overview

ARMA operates as a not-for-profit organization managing Alberta's recycling stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility programs. The portfolio includes four core stewardship programs (Electronics, Paint, Tires, Used Oil Materials) and the EPR framework for PPP and HSP materials. Supporting services include the ARMA Connect registration portal, Depot Finder tool, Recycling Roundups, and various grant programs. The organization oversees approximately 439 registered collection sites across Alberta, with over 2,200 vehicle and tire dealers serving as collection points for tires.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electronics Recycling Program Stewardship program for recycling computers, laptops, printers, home appliances, AV equipment, tools, and visual displays. Expanded in 2025 to include over 500 product types and renewable energy materials (solar panels, EV batteries, wind turbine components).
• Paint Recycling Program Stewardship program for recycling architectural coatings, interior/exterior paints, stains, primers, aerosol cans, solvents, and related materials. Includes commercial paint roundups and return-to-retail pilot with Cloverdale Paint and Sherwin-Williams.
• Tires Recycling Program Stewardship program for recycling passenger/light truck tires, specialty tires, medium truck tires, and off-the-road tires. Includes bicycle tire recycling cages at sporting goods stores and cycle shops.
• Used Oil Materials Recycling Program Stewardship program for recycling lubricating oil, oil containers, oil filters, and (effective August 2026) diesel exhaust fluid, windshield washer fluid, and antifreeze.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Framework Regulatory oversight framework administering Single-use Products, Packaging and Paper Products (PPP) and Hazardous and Special Products (HSP), shifting recycling costs from municipalities to producers.
• ARMA Connect Portal Online portal for producers, communities, and collection sites to register, submit supply reports, manage EPR obligations, and access ARMA services.
• Depot Finder Geographic search tool enabling Albertans to locate nearby recycling depots for electronics, paint, tires, and used oil materials.
• Recycling Roundups Community events for collecting electronics, paint, tires, and used oil materials for recycling. Includes Electronics Recycling Roundups for schools and nonprofits, Commercial Paint Roundups, and Beyond-The-Bin events.
• Grant Programs Funding programs including Beyond-The-Bin Recycling Roundup Grant, Used Oil Materials Support Grant (up to $15,000 per site), Electronics Recycling Roundup Grant ($500/tonne), and Tire Recycling Community Grant for recycled tire product purchases.
• ARMA Lab Research and innovation initiative focused on advancing recycling technologies and developing new approaches to materials management in Alberta.

Quantifiable outcome

• 275,404 tonnes of electronics diverted from landfills since 2004
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cloverdale PaintcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ARMA partnered with Cloverdale Paint for the Buy It Here. Recycle It Here. Paint Return-To-Retail Pilot program, allowing residential and commercial customers to return leftover paint, spray paint, and empty paint cans to select Cloverdale Paint retail stores for recycling.
• Sherwin-WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ARMA partnered with Sherwin-Williams for the Buy It Here. Recycle It Here. Paint Return-To-Retail Pilot program, allowing residential and commercial customers to return leftover paint, spray paint, and empty paint cans to select Sherwin-Williams retail stores for recycling.
• Government of Northwest TerritoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARMA administers the revenue portion of the Northwest Territories electronics recycling program with respect to distributors on behalf of the GNWT.
• Government of YukonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARMA administers the revenue portion of the Yukon tire recycling program with respect to producers on behalf of the Government of Yukon.
• Circular MaterialscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCircular Materials is a registered PRO operating in Alberta for PPP collection. They work with communities to operationalize depot services and manage PPP collection as part of EPR Phase I. Deadline for community/commission agreement execution was February 28, 2025.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Recycle BC: British Columbia's single EPR program for residential packaging and paper products, stewarded by a not-for-profit under provincial regulation. Directly comparable to ARMA's EPR oversight role for PPP materials in Alberta, with the same producer-financed, municipality-cost-shifting model.
• Call2Recycle Canada: Not-for-profit stewardship organization managing battery and cell-phone recycling programs across Canada. Comparable to ARMA as an industry-funded stewardship body operating multi-material recycling infrastructure.
• Éco Entreprises Québec: Quebec's not-for-profit EPR organization responsible for compensating municipalities for curbside recycling of printed paper, packaging, and containers. Closely analogous to ARMA's EPR role for PPP materials under producer responsibility.
• Stewardship Ontario: Ontario's industry-funded stewardship organization administering municipal hazardous or special waste programs (e.g., batteries, paints, solvents, antifreeze). Comparable to ARMA's Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) oversight and Alberta stewardship recycling programs.
• Product Care Recycling: Not-for-profit industry-funded stewardship organization running recycling programs for paint, lighting, electronics, batteries, and other products across multiple Canadian provinces. Direct peer on the paint stewardship side in particular and on multi-material industry stewardship models.
• Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA): Industry-funded not-for-profit running electronics recycling programs across most Canadian provinces, including programs administered jointly with provincial stewardship bodies. Directly comparable to ARMA's Electronics Recycling Program scope and operational model.
• Circular Materials: National not-for-profit Producer Responsibility Organization that has registered with ARMA to operate PPP collection systems in Alberta under EPR. Directly comparable as a competing PRO within ARMA's oversight perimeter.

Regional players

• The Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA): Alberta-based not-for-profit advancing waste reduction and recycling through education, advocacy, and program delivery. Operates within ARMA's geography with a complementary educational and advocacy role, though without the regulatory/fee-collection mandate that ARMA holds.
• Multi-Material Stewardship Western (MMSW): Manitoba's stewardship body for packaging and printed paper under provincial EPR (now winding down and transitioning to a new model). Comparable to ARMA in structure and Western-Canadian orientation, though in a different province.
• Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council: Provincial-level policy and program coordination body for waste reduction and recycling in Saskatchewan. Adjacent to ARMA in mandate and structure, though focused more on policy and outreach than EPR fee administration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/albertarecycle
• Facebookfacebook.com/albertarecycling
• Instagraminstagram.com/recyclex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alberta-recycling-management-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Alberta Recycling Management Authority