Frequently Asked Questions

When paying fees to RPRA, you can select from one of the following payment methods:

• Direct debit (also known as bank withdrawal)
• Credit card
• Electronic data interchange (EDI; also commonly known as ACH or EFT)
• Electronic bill payment
• Cheque

For instructions on how to submit payment by the method you chose, read one of the following FAQs:

• How do I pay my fees to RPRA by credit card?
• How do I pay my fees to RPRA by direct debit?
• How do I pay my fees to RPRA by electronic bill payment?
• How do I pay my fees to RPRA by cheque?
• How do I pay my fees to RPRA by electronic data interchange (EDI)?

Please note:

• Invoices are due on receipt.
• Invoices are in CAD fund and payments must be sent in CAD.

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No. A PRO cannot report on behalf of service providers. Only service providers can submit their own performance reports.

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.

Brand holders and producers that supply products and packaging are required by legislation to meet individual mandatory collection and resource recovery requirements and may face compliance and enforcement consequences for failing to do so. The executive attestation ensures that executives responsible for managing the brand holder’s or producer’s business are aware of these requirements and can ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to achieve compliance with the regulations.

No, products or packaging designated as Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) are not obligated under the Blue Box Regulation. For example, primary packaging for paints and coatings are HSP and therefore not obligated as Blue Box materials.

Some packaging for HSP products may still be obligated. For example, the packaging that contains an oil filter is obligated as Blue Box materials.

Consult the HSP Regulation or the Compliance and Registry Team for further information.

There are exemptions under the HSP Regulation for category A and B producers. If an HSP producer meets the exemption threshold for a material type, they are not required to establish a collection system, manage those materials or implement a promotion and education program.

Producers of refillable pressurized containers that meet the exemption threshold are still required to provide a call-in collection service.

An HSP producer qualifies for an exemption if their average weight of supply for the previous calendar year is less than or equal to the weight (in tonnes) specified in the chart below:

Producers must verify that they continue to meet the exemption annually, since their average weight of supply will change from year to year.

See our FAQ “Am I a small, large, or exempt HSP producer?” to determine how to calculate if you are an exempt HSP producer.

HSP producers that meet the exemption criteria are exempt from:

• Registering and reporting to RPRA
• Establishing a collection and management system
• Meeting a management requirement
• Promotion and education requirements

Exempt producers must keep records related to the weight of HSP supplied into Ontario each year and provide them to RPRA upon request.

Producers are advised to confirm their exemption with the Compliance and Registry Team at 1-833-600-0530 or [email protected].

As an obligated HSP producer, you are required to:

• register and report annual supply and performance data of obligated materials
• meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for collection and management
• meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for promotion and education
• meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for auditing, verification, and record keeping

These requirements vary based on material type and amount of material the producer supplies.

Yes. You are required to submit 2018, 2019 and 2020 supply data when registering with the Authority if you are a producer of oil filters, oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, paints and coatings, refillable or non-refillable pressurized containers and:

• supplied materials between January 1, 2018, and October 31, 2021, and
• your average weight of supply is above the threshold stated in the below table

Otherwise, a producer must register on or before July 31 of the first calendar year in which the producer exceeds the above threshold. To calculate your average weight of supply, reference the Registration Form.

Under the HSP Regulation, producers are required to make reasonable efforts to establish and operate at least as many collection sites for each type of HSP in each local municipality, territorial district or reserve as the number of sites that were operated on September 30, 2021.

Producers are also required to make reasonable efforts to hold at least as many collection events for that type of HSP in each local municipality, territorial district or reserve as the number of events that were held in the 2020 calendar year.

A producer can grant access to anyone they would like to authorize in their reporting (i.e. Registry) portal. Producer reporting must be done in the producer account and batch data transfers are not accepted.

If a producer misreports their supply data to RPRA, they must contact the Compliance Team immediately by emailing [email protected]. Please include the following information in the email:

• The rationale for the change in the data
• Any data that supports the need for a correction (e.g., sales documents, audit)
• Any other information to support the change

While it is an offence to submit false or misleading information under the RRCEA, RPRA wants this corrected as quickly as possible to ensure a producer’s minimum management requirement is calculated using accurate supply data.

RPRA can only receive these requests from the primary contact on the company’s Registry account. Your request for an adjustment will be reviewed by a Compliance and Registry Officer.

RPRA considers an aerosol container to be a non-refillable receptacle that contains a product and a propellant under pressure, and that is fitted with a release device allowing the contents to be ejected as solid or liquid particles in suspension in a gas, or as a foam, paste, powder, liquid, or gas.

While foam insulating containers were included under the MHSW Program, the HSP Regulation defines a non-refillable pressurized container as a pressurized container that is used for the supply of a gas product.

Foam insulation containers are used to supply an insulating foam, which is not a ‘gas product,’ and therefore they do not meet the definition of a non-refillable pressurized container under the HSP Regulation.

A brand supply list is a list of brands of obligated products that a producer supplies to consumers in Ontario. A producer must provide a brand supply list that makes up their supply data annually to RPRA. Each program has different requirements regarding how a producer must submit a brand supply list. For more information, consult the applicable programs’ walkthrough guide or contact RPRA’s Compliance and Registry Team at 1-833-600-0530 or by emailing [email protected].

If you select credit card as your method of payment, this will be done through your Registry account.

Follow these steps to complete your payment:

Follow these steps to complete your payment: 

1. In the payment method section of the Registry, select credit card as your preferred method. 
2. Enter your credit card details. 
3. Click PAY and the payment will process automatically. 

Please note: 

• Invoices are due on receipt.
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
• Payment will be reflected in your Registry account once your transaction has been processed.
• Registrants can save a credit card as their preferred payment method.
• Hazardous Waste Program (HWP) registrants can enrol in Manifest Autopay with credit card as their saved payment method.

If you have questions about fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 1-833-600-0530. 

How do I pay my fees to RPRA by cheque? 

If you select cheque as your method of payment, follow these steps to complete your payment: 

1. Make your cheque payable to “Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority” 
2. Enter your Invoice Number on the memo line of the cheque 
3. Send your cheque to: 
   • Resource Productivity Recovery Authority 
   • PO Box 46114, STN A 
   • Toronto, ON 
   • M5W 4K9 

Please note: 

• Invoices are due on receipt. 
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD. 
• It may take 2-4 weeks for your payment to be reflected in your Registry account due to mail and cheque processing times.

If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 1-833-600-0530. 

If you select direct debit (also known as bank withdrawal) as your method of payment, this will be done through your Registry account. 

Follow these steps to complete your payment: 

1. In the payment method section of the Registry, select direct debit as your preferred method. 
2. Enter your banking information/details. 
3. Review the withdrawal agreement then click “I agree to let RPRA collect my payments as per the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement.” 
4. Click PAY and the payment will process automatically. 

Please note: 

• Invoices are due on receipt.
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
• Payment will be reflected in your Registry account once your transaction has been processed.
• By selecting direct debit, registrants authorize RPRA to collect payments as outlined in the withdrawal agreement.
• Registrants can save direct debit as their preferred payment method.
• Hazardous Waste Program (HWP) registrants can enrol in Manifest Autopay with direct debit as their saved payment method. 

If you have questions about fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 1-833-600-0530. 

If you select electronic bill payment as your method of payment, this will be done through your online banking account, using the bill payment functionality. It is available at most major Canadian banks (e.g., TD, RBC, BMO, Scotiabank). 

Follow these steps to complete your payment:

1. Log in to your bank account.
2. Go to the bill payment section and add RPRA as payee.
3. Enter your registration number (found on your invoice) as the account number. 

Please note:

• Invoices are due on receipt.
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
• It may take 1–2 weeks for payment to be reflected in your Registry account. 

If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 647-496-0530 or toll-free at 1-833-600-0530.

If you select cheque as your method of payment, follow these steps to complete your payment: 

1.  Make your cheque payable to “Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority”
2. Enter your Invoice Number on the memo line of the cheque 
3. Send your cheque to: 
   • Resource Productivity Recovery Authority 
   • PO Box 46114, STN A 
   • Toronto, ON 
   • M5W 4K9 

Please note: 

• Invoices are due on receipt. 
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
• It may take 2-4 weeks for your payment to be reflected in your Registry account due to mail and cheque processing times. 

If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 1-833-600-0530. 

If you select electronic data interchange (EDI) as your method of payment, this is an electronic payment through your bank, also commonly known as EFT or ACH.

Follow these steps to complete your payment:

1. Submit your payment using RPRA’s banking information provided on your invoice.
2. Reference your invoice number when you submit this payment to your bank so RPRA can identify your payment and send your remittance details to [email protected]

Please note:

• Invoices are due on receipt.
• Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
• It may take 1-2 weeks for payment to be reflected in your Registry account.

If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or call 647-496-0530 or toll-free at 1-833-600-0530.

Failure of an obligated party to meet a registration or reporting deadline may result in compliance action, including compliance orders, prosecutions or monetary penalties issued in accordance with the Administrative Penalties Guidelines.

In accordance with the Risk Based Compliance Framework, RPRA will communicate to obligated parties, via email, about their reporting requirements in advance of submission deadlines. RPRA will also send deadline reminders and notify missed deadlines to obligated parties prior to taking further compliance action.

For more guidance, read the new Late Registration or Report Submissions Compliance Bulletin.

Registry Resources such as Registry Procedures, Compliance Bulletins, and Reporting Guides can be found on our Hazardous and Special Products Registry Resources webpage.

No. Effective February 6, 2023, RPRA will no longer accept requests for extensions to registration or reporting deadlines. Obligated parties should make every effort to ensure they meet all submission deadlines as part of their obligations under their associated regulation.

For more guidance, read the Late Registration or Report Submissions Compliance Bulletin.

A Verifier can be an individual, either an employee of the business or a hired third-party (including a PRO), who has one of the following designations and is not the same person who prepared the supply report:

• CPA (Chartered Professional Accountants) in Canada or CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in the US
• ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accounts) Qualification
• CIA (Certified Internal Auditor)
• CPB (Certified Professional Bookkeeper) in Canada
• RPA (Registered Professional Accountant) in Canada

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.

If a producer or service provider needs to adjust the performance data reported to RPRA, they must contact the Compliance and Registry Team immediately by emailing [email protected]. Please include the following information in the email:

• The rationale for the change in the data
• Any data that supports the need for a correction (e.g., tonnage purchase or sale contract, audit)
• Any other information to support the change

While it is an offence to submit false or misleading information under the RRCEA, RPRA wants this corrected as quickly as possible to ensure that it has accurate performance data from all registrants.

RPRA can only receive these requests from the primary contact on the company’s Registry account. Your request for an adjustment will be reviewed by the Compliance and Registry team.