Build of the Hazardous Waste Program Digital Reporting Service has begun

Build of the new digital reporting service for Ontario’s Hazardous Waste Program is well underway. The digital reporting service, or the Hazardous Waste Program Registry, is set to launch January 1, 2023, and will replace the current Hazardous Waste Information Network (HWIN). The Registry will be made up of two main components: registration and manifesting. The registration component will enable the regulated community to create user accounts, manage waste streams, and submit on-site reports. The manifesting component, which will include tracking and reporting functionality and a mobile app, will be used to track shipments of hazardous waste. 

By the end of February, key features of the registration component that have been built will include registration for generators, carriers and receivers, identifying waste streams, on-site activity reporting, managing facilities and reporting activities. We are currently designing the manifesting component and will provide more updates this spring.

Once the initial build is complete later this year, the Registry will be thoroughly tested by both the project team at RPRA and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and future users of the system. This will ensure we address any bugs or user concerns, prior to launch.

Here is a sneak peak of the Registry and the registration features that have been built so far (click on the photos to enlarge):

From left to right: The Hazardous Waste Program icon used throughout the system to easily identify the program; Facility Location screen, where users provide site location information; Add Waste Stream screen, where users provide information about their waste.

Training needs focus groups

Prior to launching the Registry, training sessions will be provided for users to ensure they are ready to use the new system. In order to develop an effective training curriculum and materials, the project team and our training vendor will begin engaging stakeholders in focus groups to better understand their training needs.

If you anticipate being a system user and are interested in participating in a 1-hour virtual focus group, please:

  • send an email to hwp@rpra.ca by Thursday, February 10
  • specify your name(s), role(s), and company
We will confirm focus group dates/times via email with those interested, although we may not be able to accommodate all who express interest due to schedule limitations.

Stakeholder engagement

The design and build of the Registry was informed by the work we undertook with stakeholders throughout 2021 to understand business requirements and uncover key user experience insights, as highlighted in our December progress update.

This work is ongoing and vital to building an easy-to-use and user-centric system. We continue to engage users to gain feedback on what has been built so far through:

  • interactive meetings with our Industry Stakeholder Design and Development Working Group members
  • usability testing, where users can provide direct feedback on screen mock-ups, features and functionality
  • focus groups, such as the upcoming sessions focused on training needs

Stay informed