Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ filtered results:

• 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: Collection systems , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Can Blue Box producers or PROs collect materials that are not marketed to consumers under the Blue Box regulation?

  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 registry@rpra.ca 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?

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

  Topic: PRO , Producer , Registry

  Toggle the submenu Why can’t I see the Manage PRO widget to add my PRO choice?

  The Manage PRO option will appear on the dashboard below your list of supply data reports when your supply data reporting is complete and if you have management requirements. If your supply data reporting is below the supply exemption threshold you will not have management requirements, and therefore not need to assign a PRO to assist with your obligations.

  Also note that Account Admin are the only portal users that can manage your PRO’s responsibility, so this widget is not viewable to primary and secondary users.

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

  Topic: PRO , Producer , Registry

  Toggle the submenu When managing PROs in RPRA’s Registry, it asked for a “Service End Date”. However, the contract I have with my PRO does not provide an end date. What date should I use?

  In the Manage PRO section in the Registry, the “Service End Date” is not a mandatory field. You can leave this field blank if there is no end date in your contract. If you decide to change PROs in the future, you can update this field to the date your agreement ended with that PRO.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Producer

  Toggle the submenu What documentation will RPRA accept to verify a producer’s allowable deduction 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?

  RPRA will accept a report that substantiates the total Blue Box material weight deductions based on the customer’s recorded response to “Will you eat in or take out?” for all locations. Reports must be retained either in electronic or paper format for five years and be provided upon request for verification by RPRA.

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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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