Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the lists of registered PROs:

Tire PROs

Battery PROs

ITT/AV PROs

Lighting PROs

Blue Box PROs

Hazardous and Special Products PROs

These lists will continue to be updated as new PROs register with RPRA.

Yes. PROs are private enterprises and charge for their services to producers.

Each commercial contract a producer enters with a PRO will have its own set of terms and conditions. It is up to the PRO and producer to determine the terms of their contractual agreement, including fees and payment schedule.

RPRA does not set the terms of the contractual arrangements between PROs and producers.

No, producers are not required to sign up with a PRO to meet their regulatory requirements. It is a business decision if a producer chooses to work with a PRO, and a producer can choose to meet their obligations without a PRO.

Most producers will choose to contract with a PRO to provide collection, hauling, processing, retreading and/or refurbishing services to achieve their collection and management requirements unless they carry out these activities themselves.

Yes. Producers and service providers can enter into contractual agreements with multiple PROs.

No. Producers and PROs working on their behalf must operate the collection and management systems they have established as required by the Regulation even after their minimum management requirements are met.

A producer responsibility organization (PRO) is a person retained by a producer for the purpose of carrying out one or more of the following producer regulatory responsibilities:

• Arranging for the establishment or operation of collection or management systems
• Establishing or operating a collection or management system
• Preparing and submitting reports

In addition, under the Hazardous and Special Products regulation, a PRO includes a person retained by a producer for the purpose of:

• Implementing a promotion and education program

PROs operate in a competitive market, and producers can choose the PRO (or PROs) they want to work with. The terms and conditions of each contract with a PRO may vary.

How do I find a PRO?

Here are the lists of registered PROs:

• Tire PROs
• Battery PROs
• ITT/AV PROs
• Lighting PROs
• Blue Box PROs
• Hazardous and Special Products PROs

These lists will continue to be updated as new PROs register with RPRA.

See our FAQ What is the difference between a PRO and a prospective PRO?

No. RPRA does not administer contracts or provide incentives. Under the Regulations, producers will either work with a producer responsibility organization (PRO) or work directly with collection sites, haulers, refurbisher’s and/or processors to meet their collection and management requirements. Any reimbursement for services provided towards meeting a producers’ collection and management requirements will be determined through commercial contracts.

To discuss any payment, contact your service provider or a PRO. RPRA does not set the terms of the contractual arrangements between PROs and producers.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, blue box product packaging includes:

• Primary packaging is for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of a product at the point of sale, including all packaging components, but does not include convenience packaging or transport packaging (e.g., film and cardboard used to package a 24-pack of water bottles and the label on the water bottle).
• Transportation packaging which is provided in addition to primary packaging to facilitate the handling or transportation of one or more products such as a pallet, bale wrap or box, but does not include a shipping container designed for transporting things by road, ship, rail or air.
• Convenience packaging includes service packaging and is used in addition to primary packaging to facilitate end users’ handling or transportation of one or more products. It also includes packaging that is supplied at the point of sale by food-service or other service providers to facilitate the delivery of goods and includes items such as bags and boxes that are supplied to end users at check out, whether or not there is a separate fee for these items.
• Service accessories are products supplied with a food or beverage product and facilitate the consumption of that food or beverage product and are ordinarily disposed of after a single use, whether or not they could be reused (e.g., a straw, cutlery or plate).
• Ancillary elements are integrated into packaging (directly hung or attached to packaging) and are intended to be consumed or disposed of with the primary packaging. Ancillary elements help the consumer use the product. Examples of ancillary packaging include a mascara brush forming part of a container closure, a toy on the top of candy acting as part of the closure, devices for measuring dosage that form part of a detergent container cap, or the pouring spout on a juice or milk carton.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, paper products include printed and unprinted paper, such as a newspaper, magazine, greeting cards, calendars (promotional or purchased), notebooks and daily planners, promotional material, directory, catalogue or paper used for copying, writing or any other general use.

Hard or soft cover books and hardcover periodicals are not considered paper products.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, a packaging-like product is:

• ordinarily used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, presentation or transportation of things
• ordinarily disposed of after a single use
• not used as packaging when it is supplied to the consumer

Packaging-like products include aluminum foil, a metal tray, plastic film, plastic wrap, wrapping paper, a paper bag, beverage cup, plastic bag, cardboard box or envelope, but does not include a product made from flexible plastic that is ordinarily used for the containment, protection, or handling of food, such as cling wrap, sandwich bags, or freezer bags.

If a producer is unsure whether or not their product is a packaging-like product, they can ask themselves the following questions to help determine whether the product is obligated to be reported under the Blue Box Regulation:

1. Is the product actually packaging around a separate product?
   • If yes, the product is not a packaging-like product. Instead, the product is considered blue box packaging and must be reported as blue box material.  If no, continue to the next question.
2. Is the product used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, presentation or transportation of a thing(s)?
   • If no, the product is not a packaging-like product. If yes, continue to the next question.
3. Is the product typically disposed of after a single use (regardless if some may wash and reuse it)?
   • If no, the product is not a packaging-like product. If yes, continue to the next question.
4. Is the product made from flexible plastic that is for the containment, protection or handling of food?
   • If yes, the product is not a packaging-like product. If no, the product is a packaging-like product and must be reported as blue box material.

If a producer is still unsure whether or not their product is a packaging-like product, they should contact the Compliance and Registry Team at 833-600-0530 or [email protected].

No, transport packaging is only obligated when supplied to a consumer in Ontario. Any transport packaging removed by a retailer or other entity before the product is supplied to a consumer is not obligated under this regulation.

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.

Blue Box materials supplied to the IC&I sector are not obligated, therefore, deductions are available for materials supplied to a consumer in an IC&I setting.

Blue Box producers may deduct materials that are collected from a business or institution where producers are not required to provide Blue Box collection services. Examples include:

• Offices
• Stores and shopping malls
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Hospitals
• Community centres
• Places of worship
• Recreation facilities
• Sports and entertainment venues
• Universities and colleges
• Manufacturing facilities
• Golf courses
• Cemeteries
• Amusement parks

Producers are responsible for material collected from eligible sources in the producer run Common Collection System, Alternative or Supplemental Collections Systems. Material from these categories is not allowed to be deducted:

• Material that is collected from a residence through a curbside or depot collection service.
• Material that is generated at a facility (including multi-residential buildings, retirement homes, long-term care homes and schools).
• Material that is collected from a public space (including an outdoor area in a park, playground or sidewalk, or a public transit station).
• Material collected under an alternative or supplemental collection system.

Please see the Reporting Guidance Ineligible Source Deductions for the 2026 Blue Box Supply Report for more information on how to determine and use these deductions.

Also see our FAQs: ‘What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?’, ‘Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation’

The following are the types of Blue Box Materials obligated under the Blue Box Regulation:

• Blue box packaging (primary, transport, convenience, service accessories, ancillary elements)
• Paper products
• Packaging-like products

Yes, a producer can change PROs at any time. Producers must notify RPRA of any change in PROs within 30 days of the change.

A “Public space” means an outdoor area in a park, playground or beside/on a sidewalk, a public transit station or stop under municipal or provincial jurisdiction, including a track-level stop, to which the public is normally provided access.

Blue Box producers must provide the same quantity of public space receptacles as the previous WDTA program. Producers are obligated to collect materials before the bins are full and must repair or replace any damaged receptacles within one year of notification. Please note that producers are not obligated to provide receptacles for, or to collect from, any newly created public spaces after December 31, 2025.

Yes, producers are obligated to provide collection services to new single-family residences, but these locations must become eligible sources first.

A new residence becomes an eligible source only after the local municipality, local services board, or First Nation registers the new single-family residences (also referred to as “natural growth”) by updating its address information with the Common Collection System Administrator, Circular Materials. Once the new addresses are properly registered, producers are obligated to provide collection services as soon as is practicable.

Municipalities, local services boards and First Nations should contact Circular Materials if they have new residences that need Blue Box collection service. Contact information can be found by visiting Circular Materials’ website and typing in your community’s name.

Paints, pesticides, solvents fertilizers obligated under the HSP Regulation along with their primary packaging must be accepted at collection sites collecting the corresponding material. For instance, empty paint cans and pesticide aerosols obligated under the HSP Regulation must be accepted at collection sites collecting paint and pesticides.

See our FAQ to understand “Under the HSP Regulation, is the packaging of antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, paints and coatings obligated?” and “Are containers that are obligated under the HSP Regulation obligated as Blue Box materials?“

Yes, a producer, a PRO (producer responsibility organization) on behalf of a producer, or a service provider on behalf of either party, can collect any product or material (including materials or products that are not designated under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA)). For example, a battery producer may choose to collect batteries that weigh over 5kg; a tire producer may choose to collect bicycle tires; or a Blue Box producer may choose to collect books.

Products or materials that are not designated under RRCEA regulations cannot be counted towards meeting a producer’s collection or management requirements under RRCEA.

If designated materials are co-collected with materials that are not designated, a person must use a methodology or process acceptable to the Authority to account for those materials. Anyone considering this can contact the Compliance Team to discuss at [email protected] or 833-600-0530.

For example, if bicycle tires are collected at the same time as automotive tires, they must be accounted for separately both when collected and when sent to a processor.

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 choose to offer collection services to any location. Blue Box producers are required to provide collection services to all eligible sources, as well as public spaces.

Blue Box materials collected from locations that are not eligible sources cannot count towards meeting a producer’s management requirement unless they were supplied to a consumer in Ontario. See this FAQ: Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation?

If a person is co-collecting from locations that are eligible sources and not eligible sources, a person must use a methodology or process acceptable to the Authority to account for materials collected from each type of source. Anyone considering this can contact the Compliance Team to discuss at [email protected] or 833-600-0530.

For example, if materials are collected from an eligible source and a location that is not an eligible source along the same collection route, they must be accounted for separately. When those materials are then sent to a processor, they must also be accounted for separately.

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 [email protected] 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?

Blue Box materials (i.e., products and packaging made of metal, glass, paper, flexible plastic, rigid plastic, and beverage containers) are typically collected directly from residences through the provincial Blue Box Program. RPRA’s Where to Recycle map displays public locations for recycling materials that don’t belong in your Blue Box (e.g., batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires).

For more information on recycling Blue Box materials, visit Circular Materials’ website. Circular Materials is the administrator of Ontario’s Blue Box collection system.

Under the WDTA Blue Box program, some municipalities may have chosen to provide Blue Box collection to facilities that were not residences, such as commercial properties, municipally owned and operated buildings or other institutions.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, only certain types of facilities can receive collection under the producer-run Blue Box program. These facilities are:

1. Multi-residential facilities with six or more dwelling units
2. Retirement homes that are operated by a municipality or an entity that does not operate with the purpose of generating a profit or were included in the WDTA Blue Box program on August 15, 2019. “Retirement home” has the same meaning as in the Retirement Homes Act, 2010.
3. Long-term care homes that are non-profit long-term care homes or were included in the WDTA Blue Box program on August 15, 2019. “Long-term care home” has the same meaning as in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021. “Non-profit long-term care home” has the same meaning as the regulations under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
4. Buildings that contain public or private elementary or secondary schools. “School” and “private school” have the same meaning as in the Education Act.

Under the WDTA Blue Box program, municipalities could choose to accept these materials in their programs. This choice varied between municipalities.

Under the producer-run Blue Box program, none of these materials are considered obligated Blue Box materials. The Blue Box Regulation specifically states that hard or soft cover books or products made from flexible plastic that is ordinarily used for the containment, protection and or handling of food, such as cling wrap, sandwich bags or freezer bags are not Blue Box materials. Pots and pans do not meet the definition of Blue Box material under the Regulation.

Producers are not obligated to collect or manage the recovery of these materials.

Under the Blue Box Regulation which came into effect on July 1, 2023, eligible locations for collection within the producer-run program include:

• Private residences
• Public and private schools
• Elders’ lodges
• Not-for-profit retirement homes
• Not-for-profit long-term care facilities

Note: Commercial properties are not eligible for collection under the producer-run Blue Box program.

Under the Blue Box Regulation which came into effect on July 1, 2023, eligible locations for collection in a First Nation community include:

• Private residences
• Public and private schools
• Elders’ lodges (or retirement homes)
• Not-for-profit long-term care facilities

Locations that are not eligible for Blue Box collection or funding under this program include:

• Commercial properties
• Band owned and operated facilities such as daycares or community, wellness, cultural and language centres.
  • Note: Although costs of collection from these properties are not covered under the Blue Box system, First Nations can apply for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) funding to support these costs. Please speak to your region’s ISC officer for more information on how to apply.

An alternative collection system is one of three types of collection and management systems for Blue Box materials. Producers can choose to establish or participate in an alternative collection system to meet their collection, management, and promotion and education requirements under the Blue Box Regulation.

An alternative collection system can be established by one or more producers or PROs. The system must demonstrate that it can meet all system regulatory requirements as well as the minimum management requirements for participating producer(s). A producer can choose to meet their obligations using an alternative collection system instead of participating in the common collection system.

Types of alternative collection systems may vary and can include depot or return-by-mail systems. Alternative collection systems must service all eligible communities south of Ontario’s Far North.

For more information on alternative collection system registration criteria, please reach out to [email protected].

Also see: ‘What is the Blue Box common collection system?’, ‘What is a Blue Box supplemental collection system?’

A supplemental collection system is one of three types of collection and management systems that producers can choose to establish or participate in to contribute to their collection, management, and promotion and education requirements under the Blue Box Regulation.

Supplemental collection systems are not required to service all eligible communities south of Ontario’s Far North. Therefore, a producer participating in this type of system is still required to participate in the common collection system to meet their obligation to collect and manage Blue Box materials from all eligible communities, and to provide a promotion and education program.

One or more producers or PROs can establish a supplemental collection system. If a producer or PRO wishes to use a supplemental collection system’s collected materials towards producer minimum management requirements, that system should register with RPRA.

For more information on supplemental collection system registration criteria, please reach out to [email protected].

Also see: ‘What is the Blue Box common collection system?’, ‘What is a Blue Box alternative collection system?’

Producers are legally required to offer collection services to eligible facilities starting in 2031. A facility that did not receive Blue Box collection services under the legacy program but would like to receive Blue Box collection services from 2026 to 2030 must contract directly with a private service provider for private collection.

A producer responsibility organization (PRO) is a person retained by a producer to provide collection, management and administrative services to help producers meet their regulatory obligations.

A prospective PRO is a person that has registered with RPRA but have not been identified by a producer in RPRA’s registry to carry out regulatory responsibilities.

More information on PROs

PRO responsibilities include:

• Arranging for the establishment or operation of collection or management systems
• Establishing or operating a collection or management system
• Preparing and submitting reports

In addition, under the Hazardous and Special Products regulation, a PRO includes a person retained by a producer for the purpose of:

• Implementing a promotion and education program

Only PROs that meet this definition will:

• Be listed on RPRA’s website as a PRO
• Be invited to attend all-PRO meetings with RPRA
• Receive system-wide compliance communications

More information on prospective PRO

RPRA will list all prospective PROs on its website for up to one year. After that period, prospective PROs that remain unassigned by a producer in the registry will be notified, removed from the website, and have their registry account deactivated.

RPRA will publish a list of producers who have not yet identified a PRO in the registry. This will help prospective PROs understand where opportunities may exist.