Questions about the Blue Box Program?

We have answers! Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, communities that are eligible to receive collection service through the producer-run Blue Box program are:

Municipalities or local services board areas that are not located in the Far North
Reserves that have been registered with RPRA by a First Nation and are not located in the Far North

Communities that participated in the legacy Blue Box program were included in the transition schedule to be serviced by the producer-run system outlined in the Blue Box Regulation. However, communities that did not previously operate a Blue Box program were not included in the transition schedule and must report information to RPRA (e.g., details about their current waste management operations) to ensure any collection service they may receive fits their needs.

Municipalities that participated in the legacy Blue Box program

For municipalities that provided Blue Box services under the legacy program, producers became responsible for delivering these services beginning July 1, 2023, and will continue transitioning through to December 31, 2025.

The specific transition date for each municipality can be found in the Transition Schedule.

Municipalities that did not participate in the legacy Blue Box program

Regarding municipalities that did not provide Blue Box services under the legacy program and were not included in the schedule to transition to the producer-run Blue Box program: While an initial process was conducted in 2024 to identify and engage with municipalities to ensure service provision by January 1, 2026, this was not a singular or time bound opportunity. The opportunity to join the program is continuous. Any community that meets the eligibility requirements may submit the required information to RPRA at any time. Subsequent to a complete submission, service will be provided as soon as is practicable. If you are unsure whether your municipality was included in the transition to the new Blue Box program, consult the Transition Schedule.

If your municipality did not participate in the previous Blue Box system, is not on the Transition Schedule and has not submitted their report to join the new system but would like to do so, please contact RPRA at [email protected]. Our Compliance and Registry Team is here to help you understand what service is available to you and what information you must provide to receive producer-run services.

Is my municipality also obligated as a Blue Box producer?

Many municipalities may also be obligated as Blue Box producers if they supply Blue Box materials to consumers in Ontario. See the Blue Box producer webpage for information on regulatory requirements for producers and obligated Blue Box materials.

When considering whether or not they are a Blue Box producer, municipalities should also consider the producer exemptions in the regulation. Under the Blue Box Regulation, there are two kinds of exemptions that apply to producers: one based on a producer’s gross annual revenue and one based on the weight of Blue Box materials supplied into Ontario.

A small producer whose gross annual revenue from products and services in Ontario is less than $2 million is exempt from registration, reporting, collection, management and promotion and education requirements under the regulation. For guidance on what revenues to consider, municipalities should see the FAQ: “What revenue should municipalities consider when determining whether or not they are an exempt producer?”. A small producer who meets this revenue-based exemption is only required to maintain records that demonstrate its gross annual Ontario revenue is less than $2 million and provide those records to RPRA upon request.

A producer who is above the revenue-based exemption level may still be exempt from performance requirements (collection, management and promotion and education) if their supply weight is below the exemption levels outlined in the table below.

If a producer is above the revenue-based exemption and their supply weight in all material categories is less than the tonnage exemption threshold, producers are only required to register and report. If a producer is above the revenue-based exemption, and supply weight in at least one material category is above the tonnage exemption threshold, producers are required to meet all obligations (registration, reporting, collection, management, and promotion and education). However, producers are only required to meet their management requirement in material categories where they are above the exemption level.

Blue Box material category	Supply-based exemption level (in kgs)
Paper	9,000
Rigid plastic	2,000
Flexible plastic	2,000
Glass	1,000
Metal	1,000
Beverage containers	1,000

Information on Stewardship Ontario’s Blue Box Program

Stewardship Ontario ceased operations at the end of the transition and is no longer administering the program. Producers (also known as stewards under the legacy program) with questions about the end of Stewardship Ontario’s operations, refunds for 2025 steward fees, or upcoming MFAM payments, please contact Stewardship Ontario at [email protected].