Case Study: Used Oil Management Association of Canada

Who They Are

The Used Oil Management Association of Canada (UOMA) is a collaboration of provincial stewardship organizations that work together to coordinate the recycling of used oil and antifreeze materials across multiple provinces. Under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation, producers—those who first sell or import oil products—are responsible for managing these products through end-of-life. For something like automotive oil, this is a great example of a circular economy in action, as the product can be collected, recycled, re-refined, and ultimately reused again and again.

What They Do

UOMA’s EPR program is funded by an Environmental Handling Charge (EHC)—sometimes referred to as an eco-fee—remitted by producers (including retailers, wholesalers, and distributors) of oil, oil filters, antifreeze, and their containers. Each year, hundreds of companies across Canada are required to report (“sales reporting”) their product sales to UOMA’s provincial stewardship organizations, who collect over 250 million liters of used oil. These organizations then use a Return Incentive to manage transportation and recycling of products, helping ensure the process remains profitable enough to encourage ongoing collection and recycling.

By harmonizing product definitions (e.g., a consistent definition for “used oil” across multiple provinces), UOMA has streamlined the process for businesses that must report on oil and antifreeze products in more than one jurisdiction. Even so, members expressed dissatisfaction with the former reporting system, as the user experience was cumbersome—especially for those operating in multiple provinces.

The Challenge: Centralizing Sales Reporting

Prior to partnering with PICTUS, each provincial stewardship organization used its own instance of an Access-based reporting system. A member operating across multiple provinces might have needed multiple logins, received multiple reminder emails, and had scattered records. For smaller regional distributors, this was manageable, but for larger national or multi-jurisdictional retailers, it was a significant burden—especially considering that used oil products are just one of many recycling streams they manage.

A 2016 member satisfaction survey made it clear: UOMA needed to be more responsive to its members by making it easier to handle EHC sales reporting under a single “window,” ideally allowing as much national program harmonization as possible.

The Path to a Solution

Led by then–Executive Director of BC Used Oil Management Association (now Interchange Recycling), David Lawes, their team and UOMA engaged GetSmart Solutions to conduct an IT Study and Market Assessment of potential platforms. Despite being a relatively new provider at the time, PICTUS offered exactly what UOMA needed:

A Single Instance for Multiple Jurisdictions – Each provincial stewardship organization could implement its own specific eco-fee structures while still sharing a consistent national product catalogue.
One Definition of an Organization – Members could manage their accounts across several provinces in Canada with a single login.
Multilingual Support – Launching the software with multilingual capabilities ensured compliance with diverse language legislation across Canada.

Together, these capabilities fulfilled UOMA’s vision of a consolidated, user-friendly system for sales reporting using PICTUS.

Heading for Launch

Transitioning to a new software platform for reporting has to happen in a carefully defined time frame—right before reporting deadlines. In just four intensive months, PICTUS was successfully configured, tested, and launched in January 2020, coinciding with the start of the new reporting cycle. The result was a centralized system where members can see and report sales across the country from one location, while individual stewardship organizations each gain a comprehensive view of the producers operating in their jurisdictions.

The feedback was immediate: UOMA members loved PICTUS.

“The Environmental Handling Charge (EHC) OneWindow service was developed and launched in January 2020. Its purpose is to facilitate the remittance, reporting, and management of EHCs. It responds to the #1 priority that was identified in the member survey conducted in 2016, which recommended the creation of this type of platform. It was made possible through a significant collaboration effort between all the provincial UOMA member organizations.

The feedback that we received from the recently completed member survey was overwhelmingly positive. Thank you for your confidence in the service that we are currently providing.”

UOMA Member Newsletter

Spring 2022

Ongoing Collaboration

UOMA continues to partner with PICTUS to iterate and improve on functionality for the platform. Some of the most notable expansions include:

Communications Module – A robust communication framework in PICTUS enables UOMA to keep in touch with members via email, all from a single platform.
E-Claims Validation – Most of UOMA’s funds go right back out to the recycling industry in the form of claims. Although each province has similar but slightly different program structures and rules, PICTUS automates the process. This improves efficiency for claimants and organizations while reducing the likelihood of errors or fraudulent claims.

Final Thoughts

By choosing PICTUS, UOMA transformed a fragmented reporting process into a streamlined, user-friendly system for tracking recyclable products through the circular economy. The result is a modern Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) software solution that saves time for both producers and stewardship organizations, ensuring that eco-fee revenue supports the successful recycling of used oil and antifreeze materials nationwide. This ongoing collaboration between UOMA and PICTUS highlights the power of responsive, centrally managed EPR reporting and the importance of continuous innovation in sustainability programs.

Secondly, the OneWindow system on PICTUS demonstrates that it is possible to have a unified experience for members while each individual PRO (there were six PROs involved) can have their own processes, rules, fees and policies. UOMA PROs had the foresight to develop a consolidated national product catalog that all PROs shared. Kudos to UOMA!

Everything you need to run an Efficient Recycling Program