Frequently Asked Questions

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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: Batteries , Blue Box , ITT/AV , Lighting , Tires

  Topic: General , Management activities , Producer

  Toggle the submenu How can I ensure that my products or packaging are collected and sent for management when I don’t know where they end up once a consumer discards them?

  Producers are not required to collect and manage their own branded products and materials. Instead, a producer is expected to collect and manage a portion of similar materials in Ontario. The portion of material that a producer collects and manages is known as their minimum management requirement. A minimum management requirement, which is set based on calculations outlined in the applicable Regulation, is the weight of the products or packaging that the producer must ensure is collected and managed. The calculated amount is proportionate to the weight of materials that producer supplied into the province.

  For example, a producer who supplied laptops into Ontario does not need to collect and manage their own branded laptops. Instead, they must ensure that they collect and manage an equivalent weight of information technology, telecommunications, and audio-visual equipment (ITT/AV) materials.

  Similarly, a producer who supplied cardboard boxes into Ontario does not need to collect and manage those exact cardboard boxes. Rather, they need to ensure that an equivalent weight of paper is collected and managed.

  Almost all producers will work with producer responsibility organizations (PROs) for the purposes of meeting their obligations to collect and manage materials. PROs establish collection and management systems across Ontario for different material types. A producer can meet their obligations to collect and manage materials by entering into a contract with a PRO to provide these services on their behalf.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu If we use a delivery company to mail our products or correspondence, who is required to report on the shipping packaging supplied to the consumer?

  Each Blue Box producer is required to report the Blue Box packaging they add to a product.

  For example: a college or university bookstore plans to ship a book to a consumer in Ontario. The bookstore staff packages the book in a small box with the packing slip and inserts the box into a plastic mailer supplied by the delivery service with the required label affixed.

  In this scenario, the college or university is the obligated producer of the small box and packing slip and must report these materials in their supply report, whereas the delivery company is the obligated producer of the plastic mailer and label and must report these materials in their supply report.

  Also see:
  Am I a producer of Blue Box product packaging?

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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 , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu If I already reported my Blue Box supply data to Stewardship Ontario through the WeRecycle Portal, do I have to report again to RPRA?

  Yes, producers are legally required to register and report to RPRA. There are some differences between which materials were reported to Stewardship Ontario as a steward and what must now be reported to RPRA as a producer. Differences include:

  • newly obligated materials
  • brand holder in Canada now obligated (rather than Ontario)
  • producer must report total supply, and then report any weight to be deducted separately.

  During transition years, stewards must meet their requirements (e.g., paying fees to Stewardship Ontario) under the Blue Box Program Plan and the WDTA. Producers also have requirements under the new Blue Box Regulation and the RRCEA, which includes registering, reporting, paying their program fee to RPRA and establishing collection, management and promotion and education systems for Blue Box materials.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu Who is the obligated producer for blue box packaging on unbranded products?

  Unbranded products are products that do not have any mark, word, name, symbol, design, device or graphical element, or any combination of these, including a registered or unregistered trademark, which identifies a product and distinguishes it from other products.

  The retailer who supplied the product to a consumer in Ontario, either online or at a physical location, is the obligated producer for the supply of Blue Box packaging on that unbranded product.

  For example: A cucumber in plastic film sold at a grocery store that does not have any stickers, labeling or any other information associated with a brand is considered unbranded. As the retailer for that unbranded product, the grocery store is the obligated producer for the packaging supplied with the cucumber.

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