Frequently Asked Questions

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

  Topic: Environmental Fees , Producer , Retailer

  Toggle the submenu How much can be charged as an environmental fee?

  There is no set environmental fee for any product, the amount of the fee charged is decided by the business.

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

  Topic: Environmental Fees , Producer , Retailer

  Toggle the submenu What are the rules around charging an environmental fee?

  Consumer protection laws in Ontario prohibits the misrepresentation of charges, which means that producers or retailers cannot misrepresent any visible fees as a regulatory charge, tax, RPRA fee or something similar. Consumers who have questions or concerns about a specific transaction or want to report a misrepresentation can contact the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery at 1-800-889-9768.

  As of March 2023, the promotion and education requirements related to environmental fees have been removed from the Tires, Batteries, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, and Hazardous and Special Products regulations. No changes were made to the Blue Box Regulation as it never contained promotion and education requirements related to these fees.

  RPRA’s compliance bulletin Charging Tire Fees to Consumers has since been revoked and RPRA has ceased its enforcement of promotion and education requirements for visible fees across all materials.

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

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Reporting , RPRA Program and Registry Fees

  Toggle the submenu What are the Authority’s program fees?

  Program fees are charges that producers obligated under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, are required to pay to RPRA annually to recover its operational costs, including costs related to building and operating the registry, providing services to registrants, and compliance and enforcement activities.

  All current and past fee schedules can be found here.

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

  Topic: Collection systems , First Nation communities , Municipalities

  Toggle the submenu Can a collection site operator charge a fee to consumers for dropping off their materials?

  No. Section 68 subsection (3) of the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act states that “a person responsible for establishing and operating a collection system shall ensure that no charge is imposed at the time of the collection.”

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

  Topic: Collection systems , Where to Recycle map

  Toggle the submenu What if I experience an issue when trying to drop off materials at a location on the Where to Recycle map?

  If you experience an issue when dropping off your recyclables at a location displayed on the map, click the ‘Report an Issue’ link on that specific location. This link will open a form for you to fill out about the issue. RPRA’s Compliance Team will review the issue reported and take action, as necessary.​
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  You may report an issue to RPRA because the recycling location:  ​

  • Charges you a fee to drop off materials accepted for recycling.​
  • Refuses to accept your materials for recycling (only applicable if your materials are in line with the examples provided on the map).​
  • Displayed on the map does not actually exist.​
  • Is not open to the public or does not accept the materials during its business hours.

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

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Registry , Reporting , RPRA Program and Registry Fees

  Toggle the submenu Can a producer choose to work with an external consultant?

  Producers are obligated parties under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act and are ultimately responsible for their data submitted through RPRA’s Registry. Producers can choose to contract with an external consultant to support their data submission, but third parties have limited permissions in the Registry as they are not regulated parties.

  A producer can choose to assign a primary or secondary user profile in their Registry account to an external consultant. An external consultant may submit supply data reports and/or pay registry fees on the producer’s behalf.

  External consultants cannot submit and/or sign registration, executive attestations, account admin changes or supply data adjustment documentation on behalf of a producer. External consultants cannot be account admins, nor can they manage a PRO within the Registry on behalf of a producer.

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

  Topic: Producer , Registry

  Toggle the submenu What is the difference between an account admin, a primary and a secondary user in the Registry portal?

  Account admins have access to all information within a registrant’s account. They can create and assign primary and secondary users’ access to the account, edit and submit reports, and pay fees. They are the only ones who can manage PROs.  Account admins can view all activities users undertake. They will also be the recipient of emails from the Registry portal.

  Primary users can only assign secondary users’ access to the account, edit and submit reports and pay fees.

  Secondary users can only edit and submit reports and pay fees.

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• Program: Hazardous and Special Products

  Topic: Producer , Promotion and Education

  Toggle the submenu As an HSP producer of mercury-containing barometers, thermometers or thermostats, what are my promotion and education requirements?

  Beginning October 1, 2021, producers or PROs acting on their behalf, of mercury-containing devices are required to establish and operate a promotion and education program that:

  • Promotes their collection and management services with respect to the type of HSP they are obligated for
  • Provides the following information on a website with respect to that type of HSP:
    • the presence of mercury in that type of HSP
    • how to distinguish that type of HSP from similar products that do not contain mercury
    • the hazards to human health and the environment related to mercury
    • how consumers can properly dispose of that type of HSP
    • a description of the collection services provided by the producer under this Regulation for that type of HSP
    • a description of how the producer manages that type of HSP after it is collected under this Regulation
  • Creates promotional and educational materials with respect to that type of HSP that include the following:
    • the address of the website
    • a description of how that type of HSP is collected and managed
  • The producer shall make the promotional and educational materials available to retailers that supply that type of HSP or similar products that do not contain mercury, municipal governments, and Indigenous communities, and shall solicit and consider feedback from those retailers, municipal governments and Indigenous communities on how the promotional and educational materials can be improved

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• Program: Hazardous and Special Products

  Topic: Producer , Promotion and Education

  Toggle the submenu As an HSP producer of fertilizers, what are my promotion and education requirements?

  Beginning October 1, 2021, producers are obligated to:

  • establish and operate a promotion and education program starting in 2022
  • provide information on their website about how consumers can use, share and properly dispose of fertilizer with local requirements
  • create promotional and education materials that include:
    • The website URL
    • A description of how consumers can use, share and properly dispose of fertilizer
  • solicit, consider feedback from, and make the promotional and education materials available to:
    • Indigenous communities
    • Municipal governments
    • Retailers that supply fertilizers
  • provide information to municipalities on innovative end-use options for fertilizers as an alternative to disposal

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