Electronics Recycling FAQs
EPRA-Québec is a not-for-profit industry-led organization that oversees a government-approved end-of-life electronics recycling program throughout the province. Residents can drop off their unwanted electronics free of charge for responsible recycling at an EPRA-Québec authorized drop-off point.
EPRA-Québec is funded through Environmental Handling Fees (EHF) that are applied on the cost of all new electronic products regulated and marketed in Québec. It’s not a tax, nor is it a refundable deposit. The EHF on each item in the program is based on the actual cost to recycle the materials contained in the product. All program revenue is used for the collection, transportation and responsible recycling of end-of life electronics as well as program administration.
No, the fees you pay when purchasing regulated electronic products are industry levied and used to fund the responsible recycling of unwanted electronics through the EPRA-Québec program.
No, in accordance with the Regulation, EHFs must be included in the product’s price; they should not be added at the cash register. The retailer may, however, indicate the amount of EHFs included in the product’s price for information purposes. The amount thus indicated must not be higher than the EHFs applicable to that product. See the list of product categories with applicable EHFs. For more information on how the Regulation is applied, please visit the Québec Ministry of Environment and the Fight against Climate Change’s website (available in French only) at https:// environnement.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/reglement/recup-valor-entrepr/
No, these products are not obligated by the Regulation as they are used solely for data support and do not contain any electronic component. To find out how to dispose of these products, we suggest using the search tool “Ça va où?” developed by RECYC-QUÉBEC that is available at https://cavaouwebapp.recyc-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/.
For the complete list of products accepted by our program, please see our What Can I Recycle? page.
Yes. EPRA-Québec encourages the public to prioritize the reuse of electronics that have not yet reached the end of their useful life. Therefore, if your electronic items are not at the end of their useful life, we recommend that you explore reuse opportunities including donating them to family members, friends or local charities. There are also reuse organizations, but you should review these carefully before choosing that option.
For more information, please see Reuse or Recycle?.
EPRA is committed to recycling end-of-life electronic products collected through our network of authorized drop-off points in a responsible manner that protects the environment as well as worker health and safety.
EPRA only works with recyclers who have been verified under the national Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS), which was designed by the electronics industry to ensure that end-of-life-electronics are managed in a safe and environmentally sound manner. This means that all EPRA verified recyclers must be actively processing material that is entrusted to them by EPRA. Further, our Recycler Qualification Office (RQO) verifies the recyclers against the ERS requirements. This ensures that recyclers are maintaining appropriate environmental, health and safety controls, and are properly handling all materials. For more information, visit rqp.ca.
Consumers and businesses are responsible for ensuring that all personal data is removed from their electronic devices prior to bringing them to one of our authorized drop-off points. If you are unsure how to do this, contact your manufacturer for more information. While EPRA-Québec requires that all of our recyclers protect data on electronic products from unauthorized access or theft, it is your responsibility to protect your personal information. EPRA-Québec does not accept liability for data or any other digital content that is left on electronic products collected at our authorized drop-off points.
EPRA-Québec manages end-of-life electronics according to the highest environmental standards at every stage of the recycling process. Once collected and sorted, items are sent to an EPRA approved recycling facility for dismantling and the removal of any substances of concern for proper downstream management. All other materials are separated into different streams to recover such parts as metal, plastics and glass so they can be processed into new products.