Minister Issues Direction for an Amended Blue Box Program Plan Proposal
The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Hon. Chris Ballard, directed the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority and Stewardship Ontario (SO) to develop a proposal for an amended Blue Box Program Plan (BBPP) for the Minister’s review by February 15, 2018.
The proposal will outline the first phase of transition for the Blue Box Program under the
Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and set the stage for a second phase of transition that will result in full producer responsibility under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016.
The Minister’s direction letter, dated August 14, 2017, noted that the proposal should be
consistent with the following principles:
• Seamless transition of the Blue Box Program
• Working towards the circular economy by supporting reduction, reuse, recycling and
reintegration of paper products and packaging (PPP) materials into the economy
• Providing for continuous improvement of environmental outcomes
• Providing effective economic methods to incent behavior changes leading to waste
reduction of PPP
• Driving innovation through collaborative and competitive efforts
• Avoiding stranded assets
• Providing choices for municipalities where SO is to provide Blue Box services
• Addressing issues related to the in-kind contribution from the newspaper industry
The Authority and SO will develop the proposal collaboratively with municipalities, stewards and affected stakeholders and will be convening stakeholder consultations starting in the fall. approved by the Authority, the proposal for an amended BBPP will be submitted to the Minister for approval by February 15, 2018.
For further information please visit our Blue Box Program Amendment page.