By Rohan Singh
Sales and Marketing Manager
Aevitas Inc. – Edmonton, Alberta
In Canada, the long-awaited 2025 end-of-use deadline for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) marks a major milestone in the country’s decades-long effort to eliminate these persistent pollutants. However, this deadline does not mean the end of PCBs.
The majority of high-concentration PCBs in Canada have been removed from service. Yet, many PCB-contaminated materials remain and will continue to require management for many years to come.
What are PCBs?
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of synthetic organic chemicals known for their stability, insulating properties, and resistance to heat and chemicals. These characteristics made PCBs widely used in electrical equipment, hydraulic systems, and industrial applications throughout the mid-20th century. Examples of old products that contained high concentrations of PCBs include Askarel, Aroclor, Pyranol/Pyrenol.
However, due to their environmental persistence and toxicity, the manufacture, sale and import of PCBs was banned in Canada in 1977, and their use and disposal are now strictly regulated.
End-of-Use Dates for PCB Equipment
PCBs are regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and its associated PCB Regulations (SOR/2008-273). These regulations are designed to phase out the use of PCBs, ensure proper handling and disposal, and minimize risks to human health and the environment.
The PCB Regulations set deadlines for ending (1) the use of equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and (2) PCB storage.
The end-of-use deadlines vary, depending on PCB concentration levels and industry:
| Equipment Type | PCB Concentration (mg/kg) |
End-of-Use Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical equipment (e.g., transformers, capacitors) in sensitive locations (e.g., schools, hospitals) | ≥ 50 mg/kg | December 31, 2009 |
| Electrical equipment in other locations | ≥ 500 mg/kg | December 31, 2009 |
| Equipment in use in other locations | 50–500 mg/kg | December 31, 2025 |
| Light ballasts, pole-top transformers and other small PCB equipment (e.g., capacitors, electromagnets, heat transfer and hydraulic equipment) | ≥ 50 mg/kg | December 31, 2025 |
| Current transformers, potential transformers, circuit breakers, reclosers and bushings located at an electrical generation, transmission or distribution facility | ≥ 500 mg/kg | December 31, 2025 |
A proposed amendment in 2024—Regulations Amending the PCB Regulations and the Regulations Designating Regulatory Provisions for Purposes of Enforcement (Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999)—requested an exemption for nuclear facilities, Department of National Defence, museums, and coal-fired generating stations. That amendment remains a proposal and has not been formally approved, leaving uncertainty about the legal requirements for those industries.
What’s Left After 2025?
Maintenance and equipment-filling practices conducted up to the 1980s unintentionally resulted in cross-contamination, when equipment was filled with new PCB-free insulating oil but using hoses and tanks containing high-level PCB residue. Therefore, there is still equipment containing PCBs that will continue to be used beyond 2025, as long as the concentration levels are less than PCB thresholds set in the end-of-use regulations.
Other PCBs will continue to exist beyond 2025 because certain products were excluded from the 2025 deadline, including: PCB-contaminated paint, silicone, and other coatings.
Also, there are some use cases that make it very difficult for organizations to comply with the regulation, particularly for power generators, and electrical distribution and transmission organizations. They may struggle to eliminate PCBs in:
- Sealed equipment that can’t be tested without destruction of the equipment, e.g., bushings, capacitors (including WEMCOL units filled after 1977);
- Critical electrical equipment experiencing supply chain issues;
- Electrical distribution cable (PILC); and
- Current transformers, potential transformers, circuit breakers, reclosers and bushings <500 mg/kg of PCBs.
Did You Know?
Federal regulations differ from some provincial regulations; they are stricter when it comes to liquids. While some provincial regulations define PCB waste broadly as ≥50 mg/kg, federal regulations get more specific, and prohibit the release of liquids to the environment containing ≥2 mg/kg PCBs or solids containing ≥50 mg/kg PCBs. We know it’s a little confusing. So, if you plan to send lamp ballasts, transformers, or other electrical equipment that may have contained PCBs, or metal with PCB-contaminated paint to the landfill, be sure to read this first: Environment Canada PCB Regulations for Metal Recyclers.
PCB Disposal Options
Many companies in Canada are licensed to transport PCB waste, however, there are only a few federally-permitted disposal sites. And, with the planned shut down of Alberta’s Swan Hills facility in early 2026, disposal options will become even more limited for materials containing over 50mg/kg PCBs.
A small number of companies can process contaminated electrical equipment, and even fewer will manage solids. Currently, Aevitas is the only company with the ability to provide nationwide collection and disposal service for PCB-contaminated materials, with in-house recycling of insulating oils and electrical equipment.
Compliance & Enforcement
PCBs pose significant environmental and health risks, necessitating stringent regulatory oversight. With the upcoming December 31, 2025 deadline for PCB equipment phase-out, owners and organizations must act promptly to ensure compliance.
Organizations that have not complied by the deadline can be issued tickets by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers. Ticketable offences are those with minimal or no threat to the environment or human life or health, such as failure to report on time, and will involve a minimum fine of $1,000. A new ticket can be issued each day until the compliance requirements are met, which can quickly add up. There’s a long list of ticketable administrative offences—27 are outlined in SCHEDULE I.3 of Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 PART XVIII PCB Regulation (PART XVIII), some of them perhaps surprising, e.g., “Failure to keep a written copy of the latest plan at the designated location.”
Beyond tickets for administrative offences, there are other severe penalties for more serious offences related to non-compliance, such as improper storage, transportation or destruction.
PCB destruction in accordance with the end-of-use deadlines needs to be taken very seriously to avoid incurring significant fines and penalties.
Trust the Experts, Trust Aevitas
Our PCB experts at Aevitas safely transport and properly destroy over 5 million kilograms per year of PCB-contaminated equipment. PCBs are destroyed by thermal destruction, then the decontaminated carcasses and metals are recycled. PCB-contaminated transformer oil is re-refined into new quality insulating oil for reuse in electrical equipment. PCBs in the oil are destroyed by a chemical reaction, then the oil is re-refined to remove all other types of contaminants.
If you need assistance with identifying PCB contamination or are ready to ship, contact us today. Aevitas has over 30 years experience with a successful track record for managing all types of PCB-contaminated materials for electrical companies, institutional, and commercial organizations. We offer:
- PCB analysis (CALA certified)
- Draining transformer oil from substations
- On-site dismantling of large electrical equipment
- Recycling of spent transformer oil
- Oil replacement/retrofilling to reduce PCB levels/improve oil quality
- PCB destruction
- PCB contaminated solids waste management
- PCB contaminated soil and concrete disposal
- Dedicated fleet providing safe and secure transportation of PCB waste
- Specialized shipping containers for large bushings
- Metal credit for most low-level PCB contaminated transformers
- Certificate of PCB Destruction
Conclusion
The 2025 PCB end-of-use deadline represents a significant step toward eliminating PCBs in Canada—but not their complete disappearance. Many contaminated materials will persist for years, requiring careful management, proper disposal, and continued regulatory vigilance. By adhering to PCB Regulations and implementing effective phase-out strategies, organizations can help protect human health, safeguard the environment, and move Canada closer to a future free of PCBs.
About the Author
Rohan Singh has been the Sales and Marketing Manager at the Aevitas Edmonton facility for over 15 years and possesses an extensive knowledge of managing PCB-contaminated waste materials and other hazardous wastes with over 27 years industry experience, including tenures as Operations Manager at Custom Environmental Solutions and Proeco. Rohan possesses various diplomas from Stratford University in Environment Law/Science/Chemistry, Conservation/Environmental Sciences and in Business Management. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with his wife and two sons.