Frequently Asked Questions

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Am I a producer of paper products or packaging-like products?

  See our FAQs to understand “What are paper products?” and “What are packaging-like products?”.

  For paper products and packaging-like products, a person is considered a producer:

  • if they are the brand holder of the paper product or packaging-like product and are resident in Canada
  • if no resident brand holder, they are resident in Ontario and import the paper product or packaging-like product
  • if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the paper product or packaging-like product directly to consumers in Ontario
  • if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
  • if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

   

  

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Am I a producer of Blue Box product packaging?

  See our FAQ to understand “What is blue box product packaging?”.

  Product packaging added to a product can be added at any stage of the production, distribution and supply of the product. A person adds packaging to a product if they:

  • make the packaging available for another person to add the packaging to the product
  • cause another person to add the packaging to a product
  • combine the product and the packaging

  For the portion of the product packaging that a brand holder added to the product, a person is considered a producer:

  • if they are the brand holder of the product and are resident in Canada
  • if no resident brand holder, they are resident in Ontario and import the product
  • if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the product directly to consumers in Ontario
  • if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
  • if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

  For the portion of the product packaging that an importer of the product into Ontario added to the product, a person is considered a producer:

  • if they are resident in Ontario and import the product
  • if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the product directly to consumers in Ontario
  • if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
  • if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

  For any portion of the packaging that is not described above, the producer is the retailer who supplied the product to consumers in Ontario.

   

  

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu What must a producer demonstrate to deduct materials that are supplied, used, or consumed and disposed of at a non-eligible source (e.g., an arena, a college or university campus, or a food court)?

  Under the Blue Box Regulation, allowable deductions for producers include Blue Box materials that are deposited into a receptacle at a location that is not an eligible source and where the product related to the Blue Box material was supplied to a consumer and used or consumed.

  This applies to locations such as arenas, college and university campuses and food courts.

  A producer must demonstrate the following with regards to an allowable deduction:

  1. They are the obligated producer for the materials for which they are claiming a deduction, and the weight of those materials was included in their reported supply data.
  2. The materials were supplied onsite to a consumer for personal, family or household purposes.
  3. The same materials that were supplied, were used or consumed onsite and disposed of in a receptacle onsite.

  Blue Box materials that were disposed of in a building’s receptacles but were not supplied and used or consumed within that physical building are not deductible. This deduction applies to all Blue Box materials supplied for personal, family or household, but not those supplied for business purposes. This deduction is not available for beverage containers.

  This does not reduce the obligation of a producer to provide complete and accurate supply data or limit the ability of an Authority inspector to review the data and related records for the purpose of determining compliance.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Municipalities , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Do producers need to provide collection services to new single-family residences during the transition period? Is a municipality’s natural growth accommodated during the transition period?

  Yes, producers are obligated to provide collection services to new single-family residences that come into existence during the transition period.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Municipalities , PRO , Producer , Registration , Registry

  Toggle the submenu As a producer or municipality, do the 2022 Blue Box Regulation amendments change anything for me?

  For most producers and for all municipalities, little has changed:

  1. Rule creators and the rule creation process, including the allocation table, have been removed. Instead, each producer is responsible for providing Blue Box collection to every eligible source in Ontario and creating a province-wide system for collection.
  2. Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) are now required to submit a report to RPRA on how they will operate the Blue Box system on behalf of producers.
  3. Newspaper producers whose newspaper supply accounts for more than 70% of their total Blue Box supply to consumers in Ontario are exempt from collection, management, and promotion and education requirements.

  The amendments do not change or impact:

  • Producer registration or 2020 supply data reporting to RPRA
  • Most producers’ 2021 supply data reporting to RPRA
  • The materials collected in the Blue Box system
  • The communities that receive collection or the collection requirements
  • The transition schedule and its timelines

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Registry , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu How do I register and report if I am a newspaper producer?

  For the purpose of reporting annual supply data under the Blue Box Regulation, the weight of newspaper must be reported in the appropriate material categories. For example, newsprint must be reported in the ‘paper’ category, while any protective plastic wrapping must be reported as ‘flexible plastic’.

  Then, producers will be asked to indicate what percentage of their total Blue Box material supply was newspaper, including any protective wrapping and supplemental advertisements and inserts, in that calendar year.

  See our FAQs: “What is a newspaper?” and “Who is a newspaper producer?”

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu Are there any differences in Blue Box producer hierarchies between the current Stewardship Ontario program and the new Blue Box Regulation?

  Yes, there have been some key changes to the producer hierarchies which may affect what a producer is obligated for and should be considered if using data previously reported to Stewardship Ontario:

  • If a retailer is determined to be the producer based on hierarchies, but they are a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer.
  • Brand holders that are resident in Canada are obligated, which varies from the Stewardship Ontario program where brand holders that are resident in Ontario are obligated.

  See our FAQ to understand “Who is a marketplace facilitator?”.

   

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu What am I required to do as a Blue Box producer?

  As an obligated Blue Box producer, you are required to:

  • Register with RPRA
  • Report supply data to RPRA annually
  • Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for Blue Box collection systems
  • Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for managing collected Blue Box materials, including meeting a management requirement set out in the regulation
  • Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for promotion and education
  • Provide third-party audits of actions taken towards meeting your collection and management requirements, and report on those actions to RPRA through annual performance reports

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Our institution has implemented a source-separation program to capture and divert recyclable material from landfill. Why are we obligated to report to the RPRA when we’re already recycling our waste?

  Eligible Ontario institutions are obligated to manage their waste under several regulations, each of which imposes different obligations and requirements.

  Under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act, Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) sector organizations have obligations to establish and operate an internal collection system that separates the waste generated on-site into different material categories (i.e., a source-separation program).

  The Blue Box Regulation, under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, obligates producers of Blue Box material to collect, manage, and report on the materials that they supply to consumers both on-site and off-site.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu We are a public sector institution and understand that we are a Blue Box producer. What information do we need to include in our supply report?

  Public sector institutions, such as colleges and universities, are suppliers of Blue Box materials to consumers in Ontario. They supply Blue Box materials to consumers on-site (e.g., food service packaging, unprinted paper in photocopiers, etc.) and off-site (e.g., mailings).

  For the purposes of supply reporting, colleges, universities, and other public sector institutions must determine the total amount of Blue Box material they supply to consumers in Ontario. One way to gather this data is by canvassing internal departments to obtain annual weights of Blue Box materials supplied to consumers on-site and off-site.

  Also see:
  FAQ: What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?
  Compliance Bulletin: What Blue Box materials need to be reported?

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