Frequently Asked Questions

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

  Topic: Collection systems , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Can a producer collect products or materials that are not designated under RRCEA regulations?

  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 registry@rpra.ca 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.

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• Program: Blue Box , Hazardous and Special Products

  Topic: Collection systems , PRO , Processor , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Do I dispose of my empty paints cans, pesticides, solvents and fertilizers at Blue Box collection sites or HSP collection sites?

  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?“

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , PRO , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What collection service obligations do producers have to eligible communities that currently receive recycling curbside collection but residents also have access to “secondary” or “convenience” recycling depots?

  Where an entire community is receiving recycling curbside collection and has access to recycling depots, the requirement is that during transition, that same level of service is still provided. After transition, there is no requirement to maintain depots within these communities.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Municipalities , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Do producers need to provide collection services to new facilities, including new multi-residential facilities, during the transition period? Is a municipality’s natural growth accommodated during the transition period?

  Producers are obligated to provide collection services to new facilities that come into existence during the transition period only if that facility would have qualified for collection services under the WDTA Blue Box Program.

  For further certainty, the WDTA Blue Box Program includes collection services for multi-family households (including rental, cooperative or condominium residential), senior citizen residences, long-term care facilities and public and private elementary and secondary schools.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , Municipalities , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Do producers need to provide collection services to new single-family residences during the transition period? Is a municipality’s natural growth accommodated during the transition period?

  Yes, producers are obligated to provide collection services to new single-family residences that come into existence during the transition period.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Municipalities , PRO , Producer , Registration , Registry

  Toggle the submenu As a producer or municipality, do the 2022 Blue Box Regulation amendments change anything for me?

  For most producers and for all municipalities, little has changed:

  1. Rule creators and the rule creation process, including the allocation table, have been removed. Instead, each producer is responsible for providing Blue Box collection to every eligible source in Ontario and creating a province-wide system for collection.
  2. Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) are now required to submit a report to RPRA on how they will operate the Blue Box system on behalf of producers.
  3. Newspaper producers whose newspaper supply accounts for more than 70% of their total Blue Box supply to consumers in Ontario are exempt from collection, management, and promotion and education requirements.

  The amendments do not change or impact:

  • Producer registration or 2020 supply data reporting to RPRA
  • Most producers’ 2021 supply data reporting to RPRA
  • The materials collected in the Blue Box system
  • The communities that receive collection or the collection requirements
  • The transition schedule and its timelines

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , PRO , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What has replaced the Rule Creation process in the amended Blue Box Regulation?

  With the removal of the rule creation process and allocation table as the tools to create and maintain the Blue Box collection system, the amended regulation now requires producer responsibility organizations (PROs) to submit a report that outlines how they will operate the Blue Box collection system on behalf of producers, ensuring that materials are collected from all eligible communities (i.e., communities outside of the Far North) across the province.

  Circular Materials Ontario and Ryse Solutions Ontario PROs submitted a Blue Box PRO initial report to RPRA on July 1, 2022, that provides the following information:

  • A description of how they will comply with the collection requirements of the regulation, including any agreements between themselves and any other PRO
  • A detailed description of how they will make collected Blue Box materials available for processing, how materials will be processed, and the expected location of receiving facilities in Ontario
  • A description of how they will comply with the promotion and education requirements of the regulation

  You can read the news release and the initial report here.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Municipalities , PRO , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What are Blue Box producers’ obligations for public space receptacle collection during transition?

  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.

  During transition, producers are required to collect Blue Box material from public space receptacles in eligible communities that were provided collection service under the WDTA program.

  The definition of a “public space” in the Blue Box Regulation is broader than the definition used in the Datacall for WDTA municipal funding purposes. For the purpose of collection services during transition, producers must collect from eligible communities’ public space receptacles collected as part of a communities’ Blue Box servicing that was funded under the WDTA Blue Box program (i.e., those along residential routes).

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• Program: Blue Box

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

  Toggle the submenu Can a producer change PROs?

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

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Collection systems , Management activities , PRO , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What is a rule creator?

  The rule and allocation table creation process has been removed from the Blue Box Regulation and is therefore no longer required to create and maintain the system for collecting Blue Box materials across the province, as per regulatory amendments made by the government on April 14, 2022. As such, rule creators are no longer applicable under the regulation. Learn more about the amendments.

  To replace these tools, the amended regulation now requires PROs to submit a report that outlines how they will operate the Blue Box collection system on behalf of producers, ensuring that materials are collected from all eligible communities (i.e., communities outside of the Far North) across the province. Learn more about what PROs need to include in the report.

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