Registering hazardous waste generators and facilities

Any person, partnership or company in B.C. that produces, stores, treats, recycles or discharges more than a prescribed quantity of hazardous waste must register with the ministry director within 30 days by completing a registration form and applying for a Provincial Identification Number.

See Section 43 of the Hazardous Waste Regulation (HWR).

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On this page

• Registration types
• Generator registration
• Return Collection Facility registration
• Registered Site registration

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Registration types

There are 3 hazardous waste registration types:

1). Generator applies to hazardous waste:

• Generated within a 30 day period
• Stored at any time at the location where the waste was generated
• Registered under section 43(1) of the HWR

Provincial ID numbers issued to hazardous waste generators begin with BCG.

2). Return Collection Facility applies to household hazardous waste:

• Received in any quantity from households not located at the facility location
• Stored to a maximum total quantity of 25000 kg or L, and shipped off-site for further management
• Registered under section 42.3(1) of the HWR

Provincial ID numbers issued to return collection facilities begin with BCG.

3). Storage, Treatment, Recycling or Disposal Facility (Registered Site) applies to hazardous waste:

• Stored at a location that's not where the waste was generated
• Treated, recycled or disposed of whether at the location where the waste was generated or not
• Registered under section 43(2) of the HWR

Provincial ID numbers issued to hazardous waste registered sites begin with RS.

Generator and Registered Site registrations (1 and 3 above) are based on the specific quantity of hazardous waste listed in Schedule 6 of the HWR. This schedule does not apply to Return Collection Facility (type 2 above) registrations.

Return Collection Facilities receiving non-household hazardous wastes must register as a Registered Site.

All 3 types of hazardous waste registrations are specific to:

• The registrant
• The hazardous wastes types and quantities being registered
• The site location named in the registration

An owner of a property who leases that property to a person who generates, stores, receives, treats, recycles or disposes of hazardous waste on or at that property may become liable for the cleanup of and costs associated with the cleanup of that hazardous waste and any contamination of the land that results from the presence of hazardous waste.

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Generator registration

The registration process documents how the owner of waste (for example, property owner) identified it as being hazardous and the steps taken to manage it or to remove the waste from its current location.

The process allows you to register and store your hazardous waste at the generation location.

Who should register hazardous wastes as a generator:

• Property owner (a person or a company)
• A leaseholder who generates hazardous waste during the period of their lease agreement and is taking responsibility for managing and removing the waste from the property
• Agent of the hazardous waste generator (who may register on their client's behalf)

Who should not register hazardous wastes as a generator:

• A person who wishes to store hazardous wastes at a location other than where the waste was generated
  • A Registered Site registration may be needed
• A person who wishes to treat, recycle or dispose of hazardous wastes
  • A Registered Site registration may be needed
• Any third party providing waste management services to the generator of hazardous waste
  • For example: Storage facility, demolition, transportation, renovation
• A person storing someone else’s hazardous waste
  • A Registered Site registration may be needed
• Property owners when they lease their land and the leaseholder has registered the hazardous waste and is taking responsibility for managing and removing the waste from the property
• Contractors, consultants, assessors, technicians, qualified professionals or other agents are not authorized to act on behalf of the generator
• A person who's not generating hazardous waste
• An operator of a Return Collection Facility receiving household hazardous wastes
  • A Return Collection Facility Registration may be required
• A person applying for an exemption from the HWR’s hazardous waste generator registration requirements
  • Exemption applications under sections 51, 52, or 53 of the HWR should be sent to the director for approval

Register Your Hazardous Waste Online

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Return Collection Facility registration

The requirements for Return Collection Facilities for household hazardous waste in sections 42.2 to 42.4 of the HWR apply to these facilities.

Register a Return Collection Facility

To update this registration, follow the instructions under 'Update an Existing Registration.'

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Registered Site registration

To apply for this type of registration, follow the complex process for a Waste Discharge Authorization. 

It's very important to review the information provided in the Waste Discharge Authorization section before applying to ensure all the required information is submitted for review. An application can be tracked throughout the process.

To register, use the Registered Site Preliminary Application and Registration Form EPD-HWR-01 (PDF, 420KB).

Registering a site also requires the following documents:

• Plans and specifications 
• Operational plan
• Contingency plan
• Closure plan
• Posting of financial security
• And, if applicable, demonstration trial and delisting protocol approval

Guidance documents are available to assist in preparing your submission. They also support the transparent, fair and consistent review of the submissions by government staff.

Visit the waste discharge authorization application page to view the HWR guidance on Registered Site registration.

Where a change from a requirement of the regulation is required, use Registered Site Change in Requirements (Section 51) Application Form EPD-HWR-03 (PDF, 182KB).

Submitting forms

Completed site registration forms and supporting documents should be submitted to: