A business’ residency status is a key determinant of whether or not it is obligated by the BC Recycling Regulation. Please see the Producer Guide for assistance in helping to determine your company’s residency status. In the absence of a resident brand owner, the obligation for reporting and paying fees for your materials falls to the “first importer” in BC which is typically the retailer or distributor of your products. Businesses can relieve their retail partners from that obligation by electing to become a voluntary steward.
Please download and review the Voluntary Steward Policy which clarifies which businesses are eligible to take on the role of voluntary steward. For businesses that have packaging and paper product stewardship obligations in other provinces, this policy has been harmonized with Stewardship Ontario, MMSM and MMSW. Upon review of the Policy, download the Voluntary Steward Agreement (VSA) and complete all sections.
Please scan the Voluntary Steward Agreement and send to the Customer Relations team via email at [email protected] or fax it to 1-844-471-1836.
Those businesses that want to become voluntary stewards must submit a completed VSA to Steward Services no later than December 1 of each year.
Existing voluntary steward wishing to terminate their Voluntary Steward Agreement must notify National Steward Services in writing no later than December 1 of each year.