Ryse Solutions launches hazardous materials collection program in Ontario

Ryse Solutions, an Oakville, Ontario-based producer responsibility organization, has launched the OrangeCycle Program, an initiative to collect and recycle hazardous materials from parks across Ontario.

The program is operated by Ryse Solutions on behalf of companies that have a legal obligation to collect and recycle the single-use propane cylinders sold in Ontario under the province’s Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) Regulation.

The OrangeCycle Program is the successor of the Orange Drop Program, which was operated by Stewardship Ontario until October 2021. Ryse Solutions has partnered with Ontario Parks to continue to offer park visitors the opportunity to dispose of their empty nonrefillable propane and butane containers at more than 200 provincial parks. The program operates year-round, with collection cages at designated areas within the parks.

“Ryse is proud to be working with our partners, Ontario Parks, to continue to provide the opportunity for their camping customers to conveniently and safely recycle their empty nonrefillable propane and butane containers,” Ryse Solutions Vice President Gordon Day says. “The OrangeCycle Program contributes to Ontario’s circular economy by diverting valuable resources from landfills and aligning with the province’s sustainability targets.”

The HSP Regulation is part of Ontario’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulatory framework, which makes producers accountable and fiscally responsible for their products and packaging at end-of-life, sets mandatory and enforceable requirements for resource recovery and gives producers choices for resource recovery services in a competitive market. The OrangeCycle Program is a custom solution to help producers comply with regulatory requirements, Ryse Solutions says.

“The OrangeCycle Program is a great example of how a competitive EPR framework can work to enable efficient and agile programs with strong environmental outcomes,” says Kimi Walker, associate vice president of product stewardship at Canadian Tire Corporation, one of the obligated producers under the HSP Regulation. “We are glad to partner with Ryse Solutions and Ontario Parks to provide our customers with a convenient and accessible way to recycle empty cylinders, help us achieve our sustainability goals and make life in Canada better."

Nonrefillable, pressurized containers are considered hazardous materials, even when emptied and depressurized, and are not accepted in household waste and recycling streams. If punctured, they may explode, igniting fires within recycling trucks or facilities, putting staff and communities at risk.

According to Ryse, end-of-life cylinders are consolidated through the OrangeCycle Program, and any residual propane is recovered and empty steel cylinders are sent to metal recyclers.