Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ filtered results:

• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Municipalities , Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu If a municipality distributes documents on behalf of another brand holder, does the municipality include the weight of those documents in their annual supply report?

  Where a municipality distributes documents on behalf of another brand holder, the municipality is not obligated to report the paper in its supply. That obligation falls to the brand holder.

  For example: A municipality may distribute documents issued by the provincial government (such as marriage licences and court documents) which are usually branded with the provincial agency or ministerial logos and names. In these cases, the provincial government would be the brand holder responsible for reporting these materials in their annual supply data report.

  Please see FAQ “Who is a brand holder?” for more information.

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

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu Who is a brand holder?

  A brand is any mark, word, name, symbol, design, device or graphical element, or a combination thereof, including a registered or unregistered trademark, which identifies a product and distinguishes it from other products.

  A brand holder is a person who owns or licenses a brand or otherwise has rights to market a product under the brand.

  Note:

  • If there are two or more brand holders, the producer most directly connected to the production of the material is the brand holder.
  • If more than one material produced by different brand holders are marketed as a single package, the producer who is more directly connected to the primary product in the package is the brand holder.

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• Program: Blue Box

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

  Toggle the submenu If a marketplace facilitator supplies products for which there is a brand holder resident in Canada, who is the obligated producer?

  The brand holder is the obligated producer.

  A marketplace facilitator only becomes obligated for products supplied through its marketplace where the producer would have been a retailer. If the producer is a brand holder or an importer, they remain the obligated producer even when products are distributed by a marketplace facilitator.

  A retailer is a business that supplies products to consumers, whether online or at a physical location.

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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 , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu How do newspaper producers report their supply of newspapers?

  For the purpose of reporting supply data under the Blue Box Regulation, the weight of newspaper, including any protective wrapping and supplemental advertisements and inserts, 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.

  When reporting either their total supply or the percentage of their total supply that is newspaper, a producer should only include the weight of Blue Box materials for which they are the producer. For example, if flyers for which there is a different brand holder resident in Canada are supplied along with a newspaper and those flyers have a different brand holder resident in Canada, their weight should not be reported by the newspaper producer. Instead, it is the brand holder of those flyers who would be required to include the weight of those flyers in their own supply report.

  See our FAQ: “What is a newspaper?”

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu Are cheques an obligated material?

  Yes, cheques are an obligated material and should be reported under the paper material category. If you have questions regarding how to determine whether you are the brand holder and are obligated to report the supply of cheques, please reach out to the Compliance & Registry team at registry@rpra.ca.

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• Program: Lighting

  Topic: Producer , Registration

  Toggle the submenu Am I a lighting producer?

  A person is considered a lighting producer under the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation if they supply lighting into Ontario and:

  • Are the brand holder for the lighting and have residency in Canada;
  • If there is no resident brand holder, have residency in Ontario and import lighting from outside of Ontario;
  • If there is no resident importer, have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g. online sales); or
  • If there is no resident marketer, do not have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g., online sales).

  Even if you do not meet the above definition, there may be circumstances where you qualify as a producer. Read the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation for more detail or contact the Compliance and Registry Team for guidance at registry@rpra.ca or (647) 496-0530 or toll-free at (833) 600-0530.

  See our FAQ to understand “What is lighting under the EEE Regulation?”, “Who is a brand holder?”

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• Program: Hazardous and Special Products

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu Under the HSP regulation, what are the key changes to producer hierarchies?

  There have been some key changes to the producer hierarchies in the HSP Regulation. This may affect what a producer is obligated for and should be considered if using data previously reported.

  Hierarchy change for producers in all categories:

  • Brand holders that are resident in Canada are obligated (previously was resident in Ontario)

  Hierarchy change for producers of oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze, pesticides, non-refillable pressurized containers, refillable pressurized containers, solvents, paints or coatings:

  • Producer hierarchy’s introduction of marketers with or without residency in Ontario

  See our FAQ to understand “Am I an HSP Producer?”

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• Program: Hazardous and Special Products

  Topic: Producer , Registration

  Toggle the submenu Am I an HSP producer?

  A person is considered a producer under the HSP Regulation if they supply oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze, solvents, paints and coatings, pesticides, fertilizers, pressurized containers or refillable propane containers and: 

  • are the brand holder and has residency in Canada 
  • import from outside Ontario and has residency in Ontario 
  • markets directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g., online sales) and has residency in Ontario 
  • markets directly to consumers and does not have residency in Ontario 

  A person is considered a producer under the HSP Regulation if they supply mercury-containing barometers, thermometers or thermostats and: 

  • are the brand holder and has residency in Canada 
  • are the Brand holder of barometers, thermometers or thermostats marketed to consumers in Ontario that do not contain mercury 

  A person is considered a producer under the HSP Regulation if they supply fertilizers and: 

  • are the brand holder and has residency in Canada 

  Even if you do not meet the above definitions, there may be circumstances where you qualify as a producer. Contact the Compliance Team at registry@rpra.ca or 833-600-0530 if you have questions. 

  Related FAQs: 

  • When and how do I register with RPRA as an HSP 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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