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Antifreeze and lead-acid batteries will be required to be part of producer-led recycling programs as a result of changes to B.C.'s recycling rules announced today by Environment Minister Barry Penner.

The addition of lead-acid batteries and antifreeze to the recycling regulation will require producers to develop, and submit for approval, recycling programs for these products by July 2011. This is the same year manufacturers will be required to add a bittering agent to ethylene glycol antifreeze under the antifreeze regulation, which was approved earlier this year to protect pets and children from the risk of poisoning. Antifreeze containers will also be included in recycling regulations. By July 2011, people will be able to recycle antifreeze and its container as easily as oil, pesticides and paint.

The lead-acid batteries included in the regulation are commonly found in cars, boats, motorcycles and locomotives. Recycling rules for these batteries are being brought into line with other industry-led recycling programs in B.C. Previously, lead-acid batteries were subject to a government-imposed fee which was then available to offset recycling costs faced by processors. With industry-led recycling programs government does not collect fees, although industry may choose to set their own fees to defray costs of recycling.

Recent changes will also make recycling regulations more responsive to the global economic downturn by giving the producers of some electronic, electrical and other products more time to develop and implement recycling programs. For example, producers of small appliances, smoke detectors and the batteries used in these products will have until July 2011 to implement recycling programs. However, for cellphones, pagers, fluorescent light bulbs, residential-use lamps, thermostats and small desktop/portable scanners, fax machines and copy equipment, as well as batteries used in any of those products, recycling plans will have to be approved and in place by July 1, 2010.

More information about the new, expanded recycling rules is available online at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/recycling/resources/new_products/index.htm.