Alberta vs Washington EPR: Rules Compared
Last verified
Alberta and Washington both run packaging EPR, but the rules differ. Alberta exempts only producers below the lower revenue floor, CA$1,500,000 against $5,000,000 in Washington. Washington asks for its first annual report earlier, on May 31 against June 30 in Alberta.
Alberta and Washington side by side
2 of 9 rows have a verified figure on each side of Alberta and Washington; a cell reads “not yet published” when a side has none, and an exemption row reads “none recorded; see thresholds” when no exemption is on record.
| Measure | Alberta | Washington | Stricter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration duty | not yet published | Required | Not comparable |
| Producer organisation | not yet published | one producer responsibility organisation | Not comparable |
| Lowest revenue exemption | CA$1,500,000 | $5,000,000 | Alberta |
| Lowest weight exemption | none recorded; see thresholds | 907.2 kg | Not comparable |
| First annual report date | June 30 | May 31 | Washington |
| Published penalties | not yet published | 1 published | Not comparable |
| Report file | csv | csv | Not comparable |
| Paper fee, cheapest matched rate | 48 cents per kilogram | not yet published | Not comparable |
| Plastic fee, cheapest matched rate | 176 cents per kilogram | not yet published | Not comparable |
The lowest revenue exemption is CA$1,500,000 in Alberta and $5,000,000 in Washington (CA$6,989,000 at the Bank of Canada 2025 annual average rate). Alberta therefore reaches smaller sellers: a business with revenue between the two lines is exempt in Washington but still in scope in Alberta.
The earliest annual report date is June 30 in Alberta and May 31 in Washington, 30 days apart. Washington leaves less time to prepare, so its data has to be ready first.
Who runs the programme in Alberta and Washington
Who collects and who the producer files with, in Alberta and then Washington.
| Aspect | Alberta | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (packaging, paper products) | Washington Recycling Reform Act, chapter 70A.208 RCW |
| Regulator | Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) | Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Producers obligated | Yes | Yes |
| Registration | not yet published | Required, Producer registers with a PRO; the PRO registers with Ecology |
| Producer organisation | not yet published | one producer responsibility organisation: Circular Action Alliance; membership required |
| Revenue counted as | gross revenue inside the jurisdiction, CAD, year | worldwide gross revenue, USD, prior fiscal year |
| Who counts as the producer | primary: brand owner, importer, seller; secondary: brand owner, importer, seller; shipping: brand owner, importer, seller; tertiary: brand owner, importer, seller | primary: manufacturer, brand licensee, brand owner, importer |
Where one side has not yet published how its producer organisations work, this page says so rather than assuming it matches the other side. A seller in both should check the open item before relying on the comparison.
What Alberta and Washington cover, side by side
Each row below is one published feature of the two programmes; a cell reads “not yet published” when Alberta or Washington has no verified entry for it in the dataset.
| Aspect | Alberta | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Producer duty: primary packaging | brand_owner; importer; seller | manufacturer; licensee; brand_owner; importer |
| Producer duty: secondary packaging | brand_owner; importer; seller | not yet published |
| Producer duty: tertiary packaging | brand_owner; importer; seller | not yet published |
| Producer duty: shipping packaging | brand_owner; importer; seller | not yet published |
| Reporting categories | 33, material category | not yet published |
| Exemption 1 | Producers under CAD 1,500,000 Alberta revenue are exempt | A de minimis producer is under one ton, or under the global revenue limit, or an agricultural employer within limits. |
| Materials covered | not yet published | packaging, paper products |
| Product classes covered | not yet published | packaging, paper |
| Excluded from scope | not yet published | exempt materials |
| Sales channels addressed | not yet published | physical retail, remote sale, other distribution |
| Exemption 2 | not yet published | Registered 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations are excluded from the producer definition. |
Thresholds and exemptions in Alberta and Washington
Every verified threshold Alberta and Washington publish, as each states it.
| Place | Measure | Amount | Effect | Basis as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | revenue | CA$1,500,000 | exempt below | Alberta revenue |
| Alberta | packaging tonnage | 9 tonnes | reduced duty | residential supply per year (9 t paper; 2 t rigid plastic; 2 t flexible plastic; 1 t glass; 1 t metal) |
| Washington | packaging tonnage | 1 short ton | exempt below | covered materials introduced, most recent fiscal year |
| Washington | revenue | $5,000,000 | exempt below | global gross revenue, prior fiscal year |
Alberta exemption: Producers under CAD 1,500,000 Alberta revenue are exempt It does not have to be applied for.
Washington exemption: A de minimis producer is under one ton, or under the global revenue limit, or an agricultural employer within limits. It does not have to be applied for.
Washington exemption: Registered 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations are excluded from the producer definition. It does not have to be applied for.
Read the basis column first: the same amount can exempt a producer in one programme and only simplify its report in another.
The lowest revenue exemption is CA$1,500,000 in Alberta and $5,000,000 in Washington (CA$6,989,000 at the Bank of Canada 2025 annual average rate). Alberta therefore reaches smaller sellers: a business with revenue between the two lines is exempt in Washington but still in scope in Alberta.
Fees per kilogram for shared materials
Alberta publishes per-kilogram rates in the dataset; Washington does not. The rows therefore show Alberta only. Until both sides publish per-kilogram rates for the same material class, a fee comparison between Alberta and Washington would mean inventing a figure, and this page does not do that.
Alberta: the 2027 fee schedule of Circular Materials Alberta (ARMA PPP), effective January 1, 2027, is the source of the per-kilogram rates used on this page.
Alberta 2027: the category “Boxboard and Other Paper Packaging” is published at 48 cents per kilogram.
Alberta 2027: the category “LDPE/HDPE Film” is published at 176 cents per kilogram.
Alberta 2027: the category “Clear Glass” is published at 41 cents per kilogram.
Deadlines in Alberta and Washington
Each verified date, with the period it covers when one is given.
| Place | Kind | Date | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | report | June 30 | preceding calendar year (January 1 to December 31) |
| Alberta | rate publication | March 8 | current calendar year's ARMA oversight fees (based on supply data from two years earlier) |
| Alberta | payment | April 8 | current calendar year's ARMA oversight fees |
| Alberta | other | October 1, 2026 | not yet published |
| Washington | other | March 1, 2026 | not yet published |
| Washington | report | May 31, 2026 | not yet published |
| Washington | registration | July 1, 2026 | not yet published |
| Washington | other | October 1, 2028 | not yet published |
| Washington | other | March 1, 2029 | not yet published |
| Washington | other | January 1, 2030 | not yet published |
| Washington | payment | February 15, 2031 | not yet published |
| Washington | payment | February 15, 2032 | not yet published |
The earliest annual report date is June 30 in Alberta and May 31 in Washington, 30 days apart. Washington leaves less time to prepare, so its data has to be ready first.
Penalties in Alberta and Washington
What each side has published; a side without an amount says so.
Washington penalty for producer violating chapter 70A.208 RCW: up to $1,000 per day.
Report formats in Alberta and Washington
How the report file for Alberta compares with the one for Washington.
| Aspect | Alberta | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Alberta PPP producer annual report Fee-year categories, reviewed 2026-09-29 | Washington interim producer supply report by material class 2026-09-29 (interim, built from CAA guidance) |
| Recipient | Alberta Recycling Management Authority | Circular Action Alliance (Washington PRO) |
| How it is submitted | ARMA producer portal | CAA producer portal. The customer signs in and submits. |
| File type | csv | csv |
| Encoding | utf-8 | utf-8 |
| Delimiter | , | , |
| Decimal separator | . | |
| Columns | 4 | 4 |
| Required columns | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 |
| Weight unit | kg | lb |
| Period basis | calendar year | calendar year |
The two layouts share a file type and a delimiter, but each programme names its own columns and categories, so one file cannot be sent to both programmes. Each report is built from the same underlying measurements and exported separately.
Which to plan for first, Alberta or Washington
Plan around the earlier report date first. Washington asks for its first annual report on May 31, before Alberta, so its data has to be ready first.
Check the exemption thresholds before anything else. Alberta reaches smaller sellers than Washington, so a seller that is exempt in Washington may still have to register in Alberta.
Questions about comparing these two programmes
Is Alberta or Washington stricter on packaging EPR?
Alberta exempts only producers below the lower revenue floor, CA$1,500,000 against $5,000,000 in Washington. Washington asks for its first annual report earlier, on May 31 against June 30 in Alberta.
Do I register in both Alberta and Washington?
Alberta has not yet published its registration duty. Washington requires producers to register.
How do the fees per kilogram compare in Alberta and Washington?
The dataset does not hold per-kilogram rates for the same material class on both sides, so this page does not compare fees.
Which deadline comes first, Alberta or Washington?
The earliest annual report date is June 30 in Alberta and May 31 in Washington, 30 days apart. Washington leaves less time to prepare, so its data has to be ready first.
How these figures are made
Sources
- albertarecycling.ca retrieved
Original wording: PPP Producers shall submit an annual report to the Authority no later than June 30th each year.
- files.albertarecycling.ca: EPR Single‑Use Products Packaging and Paper Products Bylaws retrieved
Original wording: has an annual gross revenue in Alberta less than one million and five hundred thousand dollars $1,500,000.
Original wording: less than each of the amounts listed for the following materials: (a) 9 tonnes of paper per calendar year; (b) 2 tonnes of rigid plastic
Original wording: PPP Producers shall submit an annual report to the Authority no later than June 30th each year.
Original wording: A PPP Producer must provide, by October 1, 2026, to single-family dwellings in Registered Communities that were not receiving recycling service
- kings-printer.alberta.ca: 2022 194 retrieved
Original wording: the producer is (a) the brand holder of the designated material, if the brand holder is resident in Canada,
- albertarecycling.ca: EPR Oversight Fee Guide retrieved
Original wording: By March 8 Notice of Final Oversight Fees posted (minimum of 30 days prior to invoicing) April 8 Invoicing of Oversight Fees
- circularmaterials.ca: Circular Materials Report to Producers 2025 retrieved
Original wording: Newspapers 83 84 -1.2%
- circularactionalliance.org: washington retrieved
Original wording: required in the Recycling Reform Act
Original wording: By January 1, 2026 Washington Department of Ecology must establish and appoint the initial membership of the advisory council.
Original wording: July 1, 2026 Washington regulatory deadline for Producers to register with a PRO.
Original wording: By March 1, 2026 A PRO must register with Washington Department of Ecology on behalf of its producers.
Original wording: By May 31, 2026 Reporting (Interim State Addendum Signed & Simplified Reporting)
- app.leg.wa.gov: default retrieved
Original wording: After July 1, 2026, be a member of a producer responsibility organization registered in this state
Original wording: Has a global gross revenue, not including on-premises alcohol sales, for the prior fiscal year of
Original wording: the producer is the person that manufactures the item
Original wording: In their most recent fiscal year introduced less than one ton of covered materials
Original wording: Until January 1, 2031, less than $5,000,000
Original wording: "De minimis producer" means a producer that
Original wording: Registered 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations
Original wording: By October 1, 2028, and every five years thereafter, submit a plan that meets the requirements of this chapter
Original wording: Beginning March 1, 2029, a producer that is not a member in good standing with a registered producer responsibility organization
Original wording: By January 1, 2030, or within six months of plan approval, whichever is later, implement the plan approved by the department
Original wording: No less than 75 percent of the net costs by February 15, 2031
Original wording: No less than 90 percent of the net costs by February 15, 2032, and each year thereafter
Original wording: civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation per day on any producer who violates this chapter
Original wording: "Covered material" means packaging and paper products introduced into the state.
- ecology.wa.gov: producer responsibility organization retrieved
Original wording: The Circular Action Alliance is the PRO representing producers in Washington. We encourage all potentially obligated producers to register with CAA.
- Bank of Canada, FXAUSDCAD (annual average 2025) retrieved
- knowledge.werecycle.ca: Report to Producers 2026 OCT15 retrieved
Original wording: Circular Materials in Alberta Fee Schedule (Cents/Kg)
Original wording: Boxboard and Other Paper Packaging 48 40 20.0%
Original wording: LDPE/HDPE Film 176 198 -11.1%
Original wording: Clear Glass 41 45 -8.9%
The free plan is enough to start. We estimate and prepare; you sign and submit.