Waste carrier registration

A buyer of a bin, hauling or disposal business should check this permission in due diligence. This entry covers Ontario only; check the rules where you are. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks describes a waste transportation system as one that transports waste beyond the boundaries of a site or from site to site, and the permission it needs depends on the type of waste and the activities involved.

What the Ontario rules say

Section 27(1) of the Environmental Protection Act says no person shall use, operate, establish, alter, enlarge or extend a waste management system or a waste disposal site except under and in accordance with an environmental compliance approval, subject to the exceptions in s.27(1.1) to (1.3), which cover activities prescribed for registration and routine maintenance. The Ministry adds that some systems are exempt and that some must instead register in the registry. See environmental compliance approval for the approval itself.

What to check or ask

• Which permission the seller holds: an approval, a registry registration, both, or an exemption, and the basis for it
• Whether the conditions in the file match the wastes the trucks actually carry
• What the Ministry requires on a change of ownership, since it says it must be notified when the ownership of an approval changes
• How the buying guide for a waste hauling company fits the permission into the deal timeline