Ontario Government finalizes amendments to Blue Box Regulation
The Government of Ontario has finalized amendments to the Blue Box Regulation.
The finalized amendments include:
- maintaining existing recovery targets for paper, glass, metal, and rigid plastic, and deferring target increases until 2032
- phasing in recovery targets for flexible plastics, starting at 10% in 2026–27, increasing to 15% in 2028–31, and reaching 25% in 2032 and onward
- removing the “away from home” requirement for beverage containers, and deferring target increase to 2032
- requiring “best efforts” to meet targets in 2026 and 2027, all collected materials to be sent to a registered processor, and PROs and processors to submit a report to RPRA in 2027 on diversion performance to assess progress
- deferring collection from multi-residential buildings, schools, and specified long-term care homes and retirement homes that did not previously receive municipal Blue Box service until 2031
- removing the requirement to expand collection in public spaces
- allowing up to 15% of a producer’s management obligation to be met through energy recovery from residuals of the recovery process, in limited circumstances
- clarifying technical requirements
For further information about the amendments, read the decision notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario posted by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
RPRA will provide detailed guidance in the near future to support registrants in understanding how the amendments may impact them.