Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ filtered results:

• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Can Blue Box producers or PROs collect materials that are not marketed to consumers under the Blue Box regulation?

  Yes, a Blue Box producer or PRO (producer responsibility organization) on behalf of a producer, or a service provider on behalf of either party, can voluntarily choose to collect Blue Box materials that are not marketed to consumers.

  Blue Box materials not marketed to consumers cannot be counted towards meeting a producer’s collection or management requirements under the Blue Box Regulation.

  If Blue Box materials that are marketed to consumers are co-collected with Blue Box materials not marketed to consumers, a person must use a methodology or process acceptable to the Authority to account for materials supplied to a consumer or not. Anyone considering this can contact the Compliance Team to discuss at registry@rpra.ca or 833-600-0530.

  For example, if Blue Box materials supplied to a consumer in Ontario are collected along the same collection route as Blue Box materials that were not supplied to a consumer, they must be accounted for separately. When those materials are then sent to a processor, they must also be accounted for separately.

  See the FAQ: Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation?

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• Program: Batteries , Blue Box , Hazardous and Special Products , ITT/AV , Lighting , Tires

  Topic: Environmental Fees , Producer , Retailer

  Toggle the submenu Can businesses charge consumers an environmental fee?

  Businesses have the choice to recover the cost of recycling their products by incorporating those costs into the overall cost of their product (as they do with other costs, such as materials, labour, other regulatory compliance costs, etc.) or by charging it as a separate fee to consumers.

  Environmental fees are not mandatory and are applied at the discretion of the business charging them, including the amount of the fee.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Our company supplies its products in refillable packaging. How should we report these containers in our Supply Report?

  For the purposes of supply data reporting, ‘refillable packaging’ is defined as packaging surrounding a supplied product that a consumer can return to the product manufacturer for cleaning and reuse.

  A producer who supplies its products in refillable packaging should only report weights (under the appropriate material category) the first time the packaging is supplied to consumers.

  For example:

  A milk producer that used 1000 new glass bottles to supply its product to consumers in 2022, reported the weight of all 1000 bottles under the beverage container category in their 2023 supply data report.

  In 2023, the producer added 500 new glass bottles to its supply, bringing the total of supplied material to 1500 bottles. Their 2024 supply data report should only reflect the weights of the 500 new bottles, not the total currently being used by the producer (1500).

  Important: Products supplied in beverage containers should be reported in the ‘beverage container’ category, not the category the container is made of (plastic, metal, glass).

  See Compliance Bulletin: What blue box materials need to be reported?

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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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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu What types of food service packaging does a public sector institution need to include in its supply report?

  Public sector institutions must report all branded and unbranded Blue Box packaging supplied or sold with food served in their owned and operated on-site facilities. These facilities include but are not limited to cafeterias, pubs, cafes, and in the case of a college or university, faculty offices.

  It is important to consider other situations where food service Blue Box packaging is supplied to consumers. For example, a college must report the packaging used in their Culinary and Hospitality programs that allow students to take home food prepared in class.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu My institution has a reuse store and/or hosts upcycling events in which some Blue Box materials (e.g., donated paper products like notebooks, loose paper, and file folders) are sold or given away for free. As a Blue Box producer, what materials from this service should be included in our supply report?

  Any donated or re-supplied paper products or other Blue Box materials that are supplied to consumers through a reuse store or upcycling event should not be included in your supply report.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu My institution provides self-serve hot drink machines where students and employees can serve themselves. As a Blue Box producer, what materials from this service should be included in our supply report?

  Any public sector institution, including colleges and universities, that offers a self-serve hot drink machine for use by students and employees (i.e., consumers) must report all the Blue Box materials supplied with the machine to serve the hot drinks. This includes branded and unbranded single-use cups, lids, etc.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu Who is a newspaper producer?

  A newspaper producer is a person who supplies newspapers to consumers in Ontario. For the purpose of the Blue Box Regulation, newspapers include broadsheet, tabloid or free newspaper. For further information, see the FAQ: What is a newspaper?

  Note that a producer of supplemental advertisements or flyers that are supplied with a newspaper would not be considered a newspaper producer as they do not supply the actual broadsheet, tabloid, or free newspaper. This producer cannot use the newspaper exemption percentage to be exempt from Blue Box collection and management requirements. See the FAQ: Are there exemptions for Blue Box producers?

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: PRO , Producer , Registry , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Are beverage containers eligible for a producer’s allowable deductions for Blue Box materials that are deposited into a receptacle at a location that is a) not an eligible source, and b) where the product related to the Blue Box material was supplied and used or consumed?

  No, beverage containers are not eligible for this deduction.

  The allowable deduction is permitted for Blue Box materials that are deposited into a “non-eligible source,” meaning a place where consumers dispose of Blue Box materials that are not included in the producer-run collection system.

  Under the Blue Box Regulation, beverage containers that are supplied to Ontario consumers for personal, family, household or business purposes are obligated Blue Box materials. The inclusion of “business purposes” is unique to the beverage container material category.

  Because supplying a beverage container can mean either supplying for “personal, family and/or household purposes” that will likely be consumed and disposed of in a residential context (e.g., a home, apartment, long-term care facility, etc.) or supplying for “business purposes” that will likely be consumed and disposed of in a commercial or institutional context (e.g., a restaurant, college or gym), there are no “non-eligible sources” for beverage containers. All beverage containers must be reported and collected from all sources, whether they are residential, business, commercial or institutional.

  See our FAQ to understand “What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?”

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