Paints

Paint is good for your walls. But not for nature. That’s why we pioneered Canada’s first paint recovery and recycling program in Quebec in 1997 and we’ve never looked back.

RONA’s paint recovery program

RONA has been recovering used paint at its Quebec stores for over 10 years, and the program has now been extended to stores in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. And because we believe in this program, we are currently working on introducing this service in other provinces.

With just under 15 million kilograms of leftover paint collected so far, we are proud to say that the program has been a huge success.

At any time during store hours, you can bring back your old cans of paint and any unused paint to participating RONA stores in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia . We will take care to send them to a processor for their safe recycling and disposal. In Quebec and Ontario, after transformation, the leftover paints will become brand new paint that you will find back on the shelves under the RONA ECO brand.

In Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, the paint is disposed of differently. Oil based paint is sent to licensed facilities for energy recovery. More than half of the latex paint collected is recycled back into paint and the rest is used in the manufacturing of specialty concrete or as raw material in the manufacturing of cement.

All types of home paint – latex, alkyd and stains – are accepted under RONA’s recovery and recycling program. To find out exactly what products we accept in our program see:

• If you are from Quebec Province
• If your are from Ontario
• If you are from Saskatchewan, Alberta or British Columbia

Attractive and affordable throughout Canada

RONA ECO paint is made in Canada from 90% recycled paint. It is low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and generates only a quarter of the greenhouse gases normally produced by other paints during their entire life cycle. RONA ECO paint is also certified by EcoLogo, one of the largest and most respected eco-labelling programs in North America.

Available in an increasingly wide range of colours, the RONA ECO interior latex stands up to the competition, envying nothing to majors brands in terms of performance. It is easy to apply, has high hiding power and is easy to wash. What is more, it offers an outstanding quality-price ratio. And best of all, RONA ECO paints are available throughout the entire network of RONA stores across Canada.

Besides RONA ECO paint, RONA also offers a wide selection of eco-responsible paints and stains under various brands. Consumers can make an eco-responsible choice for every room in their home, while keeping in tune with today’s most exciting colour trends. All that because we believe that there is no need to compromise on the environment.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs

Buying a compact fluorescent light bulb represents savings of both money and energy.

However, these light bulbs contain toxic substances that require their responsible disposal. You can take your used compact fluorescents to participating RONA stores where the bulbs will be collected for safe recovery. 100% of the bulbs are recycled, right down to the mercury they contain, nothing goes to waste!

A long-lasting light bulb, with a specific disposal process

Compact fluorescent light bulbs use up to 75% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and have a useful life that is up to 10 times longer than the average lifespan of incandescents. On the other hand, it is important to follow certain safety rules when disposing of compact fluorescents because they contain small quantities of mercury, a heavy metal potentially damaging to the environment. The RONA collection program allows safe handling of the bulbs and the toxic substances they contain, protecting the environment, consumers and store employees alike.

How do we dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs?

When consumers bring a compact fluorescent bulb to their local RONA store, we take a plastic bag specifically made for this purpose and slip the light bulb into the bag to prevent mercury contamination should it break. The used bulbs are then transported in safe containers to a recycling facility. Once the bulbs are recovered and the materials they contain are extracted through a mechanical and chemical process, the mercury is safely handled and can be reused in various forms.

This is a simple gesture that can greatly reduce the amounts of mercury that end up in our ecosystems.

Power tool accessories

Although power tools save you time, their use can pose a threat to the environment.

By implementing a recycling program for tool blades and power tool batteries we have taken concrete steps to reduce those negative impacts.

A clever solution

Throwing used tool blades away should never be an option. First, their sharp edges continue to be a potential source of harm even after the blades have been discarded. More importantly, metal blades are made of non-renewable resources. So for every brand new blade produced, metal has to be extracted from the ground and be processed into steel, which results in significant pressure on resources and causes large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Hence it is important that we do our utmost to use them to their fullest extent before discarding them.

Recycling made easy

When you take a used tool blade back to a RONA store, that blade is reconditioned to the highest quality standard and sold back as a RONA ECO tool blade. Those reconditioned tool blades can also be further recycled numerous times, as long as you bring them back to your RONA store. And when you bring a used RONA ECO tool blade back, you receive a credit applicable towards a new RONA ECO blade purchase. By bringing used tool blades and power tool accessories back to a RONA store, you are helping ease the pressure on our planet’s limited rouserces and reducing the impacts of climate change.

Batteries

Batteries are everywhere in our daily lives despite containing materials which could harm the environment if leaked.

They come in many shapes and forms are an extremely handy and portable source of energy. It is thus all the more important that we dispose of them in a way that reduces their environmental impact.

Rechargeables come first

The first step towards greening your usage of batteries is to favour rechargeable batteries. The life cycle assessment method has proven that they have more than 10 times less impact on human health, ecosystem quality and resource use than their non-rechargeable counterparts¹.

The RONA way

However good they may be, batteries, even the rechargeable ones become unusable at some point. When that happens, all batteries should be disposed off appropriately, which means neither in your household waste nor in nature! RONA provides you with a safe and easy way to dispose of your old batteries. Whether they be your small household ones or larger power tool batteries, bring them back to your local RONA store where they will be properly handled and shipped to a special recycler. This way, the batteries will be dismantled and the hazardous material will be recycled to produce new batteries.

This is RONA’s way of looking at the big picture to reduce the environmental impact of batteries for good.