Frequently Asked Questions

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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 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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• 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: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu What must a producer demonstrate to deduct materials that are supplied, used, or consumed and disposed of at a non-eligible source (e.g., an arena, a college or university campus, or a food court)?

  Under the Blue Box Regulation, allowable deductions for producers include Blue Box materials that are deposited into a receptacle at a location that is not an eligible source and where the product related to the Blue Box material was supplied to a consumer and used or consumed.

  This applies to locations such as arenas, college and university campuses and food courts.

  A producer must demonstrate the following with regards to an allowable deduction:

  1. They are the obligated producer for the materials for which they are claiming a deduction, and the weight of those materials was included in their reported supply data.
  2. The materials were supplied onsite to a consumer for personal, family or household purposes.
  3. The same materials that were supplied, were used or consumed onsite and disposed of in a receptacle onsite.

  Blue Box materials that were disposed of in a building’s receptacles but were not supplied and used or consumed within that physical building are not deductible. This deduction applies to all Blue Box materials supplied for personal, family or household, but not those supplied for business purposes. This deduction is not available for beverage containers.

  This does not reduce the obligation of a producer to provide complete and accurate supply data or limit the ability of an Authority inspector to review the data and related records for the purpose of determining compliance.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Can Blue Box producers or PROs collect from locations that are not eligible sources?

  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 registry@rpra.ca 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.

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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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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu What is a beverage container?

  For the purposes of the Blue Box Regulation, a beverage container is a container that:

  1. Contains a ready-to-drink beverage product,
     • “Ready-to-drink” means a beverage packaged by the manufacturer for immediate consumption that does not require any preparation. A ready-to-drink beverage is intended to be consumed as purchased and does not require a dispensing device to be consumed.
     • “Beverage” means a consumable liquid for enjoyment or hydration. It does not include an “alcoholic beverage”, or “non-alcoholic beer, wine or spirits” as defined in O. Reg. 391/21.
  2. Is made from metal, glass, paper or rigid plastic, or any combination of these materials, and
     • If a beverage container is made only of flexible plastic, it would be obligated as a Blue Box material but would be reported under the material category “Flexible Plastic” rather than the “Beverage Container” material category. The Blue Box Regulation defines flexible plastic as unmoulded plastic. For more information on reporting of packaging and beverage containers that consist of multiple materials, please see the “Component Threshold Rule” in the Blue Box Verification and Audit Procedure Registry Procedure.
  3. Is sealed by its manufacturer.
     • A cup provided to a consumer in a restaurant filled with fountain pop is not sealed by the manufacturer and is therefore not considered a beverage container. However, the cup (including the lid and straw) would still be obligated as a Blue Box material in the paper and/or plastic material categories.

  For greater clarity, the Registrar does not consider the packaging from the following product types to be a beverage container:

  • Infant formula
  • Meal replacements, nutritional supplements or dietary supplements
  • Regulated health products
  • Concentrated beverages intended to be mixed or diluted before consumption, such as frozen juices, cocktail mixers, extracts and flavour enhancers
  • Liquids that are not intended to be consumed as purchased such as soup, syrups, cream and other beverage additives, whipping cream, buttermilk, broth
  • Beverage containers made of flexible plastics such as milk bags (these are still to be reported as flexible plastics)

  Milk products and substitutes (e.g., soy beverage, almond beverage, a rigid plastic container of milk, drinkable yogurt) are beverage containers provided they are packaged in a container as defined above.

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