Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ filtered results:

Program: Tires

Topic: Producer , Registration , Reporting

Producers with a collection requirement under 1000 kg are exempt from registering and reporting to RPRA in that calendar year. Producers who meet this exemption are, however, required to retain records for five years.

To view your collection requirement, log into your Registry account, download a copy of your 2022 Tires Report and review the section with your minimum collection requirements for 2023.

Producers with a 2023 collection requirement under 1000 kg should contact our Compliance and Registry Team at 833-600-0530 or registry@rpra.ca to determine if their registration should be deactivated.

To calculate your collection requirement for a given year, use the formula below:

(Y3 + Y4 +Y5) / 3 x 0.85

Y3 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year three years prior to the collection year

Y4 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year four years prior to the collection year

Y5 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year five years prior to the collection year

For example, to calculate your 2024 collection requirement, you would input your 2021 (Y3), 2020 (Y4) and 2019 (Y5) supply data.
Program: Batteries , Blue Box , Hazardous and Special Products , ITT/AV , Lighting , Tires

Topic: Producer

No, where a producer is exempt, the regulatory obligations do not become the responsibility of the organization that is next in the producer hierarchy. The exempt producer remains the “producer” for those materials; they are just exempt from certain requirements under the regulation as set out in the relevant provisions providing for the exemption. This is the case in all RRCEA regulations.

Program: Lighting

Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Producer , Registration , Reporting

A lighting producer qualifies for an exemption if their management requirement isn’t more than 350 kg. The lighting producer is exempt from the following:

Registering and reporting to RPRA;
Establishing a collection and management system and meeting a management requirement; and
Promotion and education requirements.

Management requirements are calculated using the formulas in the table below. For the 2022 reporting period, producers need to determine if they will be exempt for the 2023 performance period.

Performance Period	Formula	Exemption threshold (kg)	Exempt if average annual supply less than (kg)
2023	(2018 supply + 2019 supply + 2020 supply) / 3×30%	350	1167
2024	(2019 supply + 2020 supply + 2021 supply) / 3×30%	350	1167
2025	(2020 supply + 2021 supply + 2022 supply) / 3×30%	350	1167
2026	(2021 supply + 2022 supply + 2023 supply) / 3×40%	350	875
2027	(2022 supply + 2023 supply + 2024 supply) / 3×50%	350	700

Producers not required to register and report are required to keep records as set out in section 30 of the regulation. Note: The minimum management requirement percentage increases for the 2025 supply report (2026 performance year) and subsequent years. While some producers may be exempt one year, they might not be exempt in subsequent years. Producers must verify that they continue to meet the exemption each year using the table above.

Producers are encouraged to confirm their exemption with the Compliance Team at registry@rpra.ca or 1-833-600-0530.

See our FAQ to understand “How are lighting producers’ minimum management requirements determined?” and “What do I have to do if I am an exempt lighting producer?”

Program: Lighting

Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Producer , Registration , Reporting
An exempt producer is not required to:

Register and report to RPRA;

Establish a collection and management system and meet a management requirement; and

Promotion and education requirements.

Exempt producers must retain records related to the weight of lighting supplied into Ontario each year and provide them to the Authority upon request.

See our FAQ to understand “How do I determine if I am an exempt lighting producer?”
Program: Hazardous and Special Products

Topic: Producer

Producers can reference the following chart to determine if they are a small, large or exempt HSP producer. To calculate your average weight of supply to confirm that you are an exempt producer, reference the Registration Form.

Producer categories use the average weight of material (in tonnes) supplied in Ontario in the previous calendar year.
Program: Hazardous and Special Products

Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Producer , Promotion and Education , Registration , Reporting
If a producer is exempt in accordance with the chart below, the producer is exempt from the following requirements:

Registration with RPRA

Requirements related to setting up or operating a collection system

Management requirements

Promotion and education requirements

Producer categories use the average weight of material (in tonnes) supplied in Ontario in the three previous calendar years. If you have questions on how to calculate your average weight of supply, contact the Registry Support Team at registry@rpra.ca.
Program: Blue Box

Topic: Producer
Under the Blue Box Regulation, there are three types of exemptions that apply to producers:

Based on a producer’s gross annual revenue,

based on the weight of Blue Box materials supplied into Ontario, and

for producers of newspaper

1. Any producer whose gross annual Ontario revenue from products and services is less than $2,000,000 is exempt from all producer requirements under the regulation. In the case where the producer is a franchisor, it is the gross annual revenue of the system that is used to determine if an exemption applies.

Any producer who meets the exemption must keep any records that demonstrate its gross annual Ontario revenue is less than $2,000,000 in a paper or electronic format that can be examined or accessed in Ontario for a period of five years from the date of creation.

See our FAQs to understand what revenues municipalities and registered charities should consider when determining whether or not they are an exempt producer.

2. 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’s annual revenue is more than $2,000,000 and supply weight in all material categories is less than the tonnage exemption threshold, the producer is required to register and report.

If a producer’s annual revenue is more than $2,000,000 and supply weight in at least one material category is above the tonnage exemption threshold, the producer is required to meet all obligations (registration, reporting, collection, management, and promotion and education). However, producers are only required to meet their minimum management requirement in material categories where they are above the exemption level.

3. As outlined in the amended Blue Box Regulation (released April 19, 2022), producers of newspapers may be exempt from collection, management, and promotion and education requirements. For the purposes of this exemption, “newspapers” includes newspapers and any protective wrapping and any supplemental advertisements and inserts that are provided along with the newspapers.

For a producer to qualify for this exemption, newspapers must account for more than 70% of their total weight of Blue Box materials supplied to consumers in Ontario in a calendar year. If exempt, the producer is not required to meet collection, management, and promotion and education requirements for all Blue Box materials they supply in Ontario in the following two calendar years.

A producer whose newspaper supply accounts for 70% or less of their total weight of Blue Box materials is subject to collection, management, and promotion and education requirements for all Blue Box materials they supply in Ontario.
Program: Blue Box

Topic: Producer

There is an exemption in the Blue Box regulation for producers whose gross annual revenue generated from products and services in Ontario less than $2 million. The revenue that counts towards the exemption is revenue from products and services. Charitable donations are not revenue from products and services and therefore does not count towards the exemption. Revenue other than charitable donations that are recorded from registered charities will be considered revenue from products and services.
Program: Blue Box

Topic: Municipalities , Producer
There is an exemption in the Blue Box Regulation for producers whose gross annual revenue generated from products and services in Ontario is less than $2 million. The following sources are excluded for the purpose of determining revenue:

Government tax revenue

Property taxes

General assistance funding received under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund

Payments in lieu of taxes

Canadian or Ontarian government grants available to municipalities with the intent of investing in public infrastructure
Program: ITT/AV

Topic: Producer , Registration
An ITT/AV producer qualifies for an exemption if its management requirement for a performance period is not more than 3.5 tonnes with respect to ITT/AV or not more than 350 kg with respect to lighting. The producer is exempt from the following:

Registering and reporting to the Authority;

Establishing a collection and management system and meeting a management requirement; and

Promotion and education requirements.

The management requirement percentage increases each year in 2023, 2024, and 2025, therefore while you may be exempt in 2021 and 2022, you might not be exempt in subsequent years. Therefore, a producer must verify that they continue to meet the exemption each year.

If a producer is exempt and therefore not required to register with the Authority, they must retain records related to the weight of ITT/AV supplied into Ontario each year and provide them to the Authority upon request.

Producers are encouraged to confirm their exemption with the Compliance Team at 833-600-0530 or registry@rpra.ca.