About the MHSW Program

The Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste (MHSW) Program is designed to collect consumer hazardous and special material so it can be recycled or disposed of safely. Program implementation is in two phases: Phase 1 launched in July 2008 with nine materials. The consolidated phase begins on July 1, 2010 and encompasses 22 materials (including the original nine). Companies resident in Ontario that supply any of the 22 materials for sale or use in Ontario have legal responsibilities under the program and are called stewards. Stewards are required to register with Stewardship Ontario, submit Steward’s Reports and pay fees to Stewardship Ontario based on the designated materials they supply into Ontario. Stewardship Ontario uses the money on behalf of industry to collect, transport and recycle (or safely dispose of) the waste.

Designated Materials under the Consolidated MHSW Program

Under the Waste Diversion Act, 2002, the Ontario Minister of the Environment determined which materials would be designated in the MHSW Program and set these out in Regulation 541/06. The minister also directed Stewardship Ontario to develop, implement and operate the program.

The 22 Designated Materials*:

• Aerosols
• Antifreeze¹
• Batteries - Consumer-Type-Portable (single use dry cell)
• Batteries - Rechargeable
  
• Batteries - Industrial Stationary and Non-Lead Acid Motive²
• Corrosives (includes irritants)
• Fertilizers¹
• Fire Extinguishers (portable)
• Flammables¹ (includes solvents)
• Fluorescents (user removed)
• Fluroescents (embedded in designated EEE)
• Leachates
• Mercury Devices (includes measuring devices, switches and thermostats)
• Oil Containers
• Oil Filters
• Paint and Coatings¹
• Pesticides, Fungicides and/or Herbicides¹
• Pharmaceuticals
• Pressurized Containers
• Reactives
• Sharps and Syringes
• Toxics

Material Notes: Updated January 28, 2010 to better reflect category groupings, e.g., all mercury devices are now grouped together as one category with five subcategories. * Obsolete Materials: A number of materials designated under the consolidated program may no longer be supplied for sale or use in Ontario (e.g., banned pesticides, mercury switches and mercury-containing measuring devices). These are referred to as ‘obsolete’ waste. Companies which produced products that generate obsolete waste are still obligated to register with Stewardship Ontario, even though they have ceased to supply this material for sale or use in Ontario. This is because some of these materials will be returned for collection and safe disposal. 1 Phase 1 stewards note, the definition has been expanded for these Phase 1 materials. 2 Non-lead acid motive means batteries that are used for automotive and other power applications (e.g., in the rail, marine and aircraft industries).

For more information

• The Business Area and Designated Materials Chart: here you can find your area of business and determine if your company maybe a steward by supplying any of the materials for sale or use in Ontario.
• The Reference Chart for Designated Materials provides more information about the materials such as their definitions, product examples, etc. (Updated January 29, 2010)
• Steward Reporting Matrix (updated February 1, 2010) is a tool to help stewards prepare data for submitting a Steward’s Report. It provides material subcategories and units of measure for reporting purposes.
• The Decision Process for MHSW with Multiple Properties (Updated January 5, 2010)provides more information on how to report materials/products that may fall into one or more of the designated material categories.