#9. Encourage end-of-life vehicle and battery recycling
Canada has a patchwork of rules and procedures governing the disassembly of vehicles, the proper disposal of hazardous materials and the recovery of reusable parts. The rise of battery electric vehicles (BEV) brings with it a host of new challenges, and opportunities, to advance Canada’s vehicle recycling programs and secondary use for critical parts. Provincial Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs that place responsibility on automakers to track materials and properly manage hazardous components17 are positive initiatives that must extend across the country. These initiatives should also include growing Canada’s capacity to recycle and repurpose lithium-ion batteries. Expanding the scope of component parts in EPR programs can also encourage automakers to better utilize existing in-house networks of Parts Distribution Centres to store parts and manage after-market logistics.
17 For example, see B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Extended Producer Responsibility Five-Year Action Plan 2021-2026: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/waste-management/recycling/recycle/extended_producer_five_year_action_plan.pdf