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Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ filtered results:
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Program: Batteries , Blue Box , Hazardous and Special Products , ITT/AV , Lighting , TiresTopic: Producer , Registration
Account Admins must add any new, or manage existing, Primary Contacts under the program they wish to give them access to in order for the Primary Contact to be able to submit a report (e.g., permissions to view and complete reports).
To Manage contacts on your Registry account, please see the following steps:
- Log into your account
- Once you are logged in, click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner and select Manage Users
- Under Actions, click Manage to update preferences of existing users
- Click Add New User to add an additional contact to your account
- To give reporting access to a Primary Contact, select the program from the drop-down that you would like to grant them access to
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Collection systems , Management activities , PRO , Producer , Registration
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 BoxTopic: Collection systems , Management activities , PRO , Producer
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 As such, rule creators are no longer applicable under the regulation.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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Program: Hazardous and Special ProductsTopic: Collection systems , Management activities , Producer , Promotion and Education , Registration , Reporting
If a producer is exempt in accordance with the chart below, the producer is exempt from the following requirements:
- Registration with RPRA
- Requirements related to setting up or operating a collection system
- Management requirements
- Promotion and education requirements
Producer categories use the average weight of material (in tonnes) supplied in Ontario in the three previous calendar years. If you have questions on how to calculate your average weight of supply, contact the Registry Support Team at registry@rpra.ca.
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Management activities , Producer , Reporting
There are only two allowable deductions for Blue Box materials. There are for materials that are:
- collected from an eligible source at the time a related product was installed or delivered (e.g., packaging that is removed from the house by a technician installing a new appliance). This is the “installation deduction”.
- deposited into a receptacle at a location that is collected from a business or institution where Blue Box collection services are not provided under the regulation. This is the “ineligible source deduction” that was expanded by the regulation amendment in July 2023.
Ineligible source deductions:
Blue Box Producers may deduct materials that are collected from a business or institution where producers are not required to provide Blue Box collection services. Examples include offices, stores and shopping malls, restaurants, community centres, recreation facilities, sports and entertainment venues, universities and colleges, and manufacturing facilities.
Producers cannot deduct the following materials collected through the collection systems established under the Blue Box Regulation:
- Material that is generated at a facility (including multi-residential buildings, retirement homes, long-term care homes and schools).
- Material that is collected from a residence through a curbside or depot collection service.
- Material that is collected from a public space (including an outdoor area in a park, playground or sidewalk, or a public transit station).
- Material collected under an alternative or supplemental collection system.
- Beverage containers cannot be deducted.
Materials that are deducted cannot count toward a producer’s management requirement.
Please see the Reporting Guidance Ineligible Source Deductions for the 2024 Blue Box Supply Report for more information on how to determine and use these deductions.
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Producer , Reporting
Starting in 2022, producers are required to report their supply data annually to RPRA.
Each year, producers will need to provide the previous years’ supply data in each of the seven material categories – beverage container, glass material, flexible plastic, rigid plastic, metal material, paper material, and certified compostable products and packaging material – as well as any deductions.
See our FAQ to understand “What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?”
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Producer , Registration
Producers are required to provide the following information when registering with RPRA:
- Contact information
- PRO information (if a PRO has been retained at time of reporting), including what services they have retained a PRO for
- Their 2020 supply data in each of the seven material categories– beverage container, glass material, flexible plastic, metal material, paper material, and certified compostable products and packaging material – as well as any deductions.
Please note that this information must be submitted to RPRA directly.
See our FAQ to understand “What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?”
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Producer , Registration
Producers are required to register with RPRA by October 1, 2021, as outlined in the Blue Box Regulation.
After this date, new businesses are required to register within 30 days of becoming a producer.
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Collection systems , General , PRO , Processor , Producer
The following are the types of Blue Box Materials obligated under the Blue Box Regulation:
- Blue box packaging (primary, transport, convenience, service accessories, ancillary elements)
- Paper products
- Packaging-like products
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Program: Blue BoxTopic: Producer
Under the Blue Box Regulation, there are three types of exemptions that apply to producers:
- Based on a producer’s gross annual revenue,
- based on the weight of Blue Box materials supplied into Ontario, and
- for producers of newspaper
1. Any producer whose gross annual Ontario revenue from products and services is less than $2,000,000 is exempt from all producer requirements under the regulation. In the case where the producer is a franchisor, it is the gross annual revenue of the system that is used to determine if an exemption applies.
Any producer who meets the exemption must keep any records that demonstrate its gross annual Ontario revenue is less than $2,000,000 in a paper or electronic format that can be examined or accessed in Ontario for a period of five years from the date of creation.
See our FAQs to understand what revenues municipalities and registered charities should consider when determining whether or not they are an exempt producer.
2. A producer who is above the revenue-based exemption level may still be exempt from performance requirements (collection, management and promotion and education) if their supply weight is below the exemption levels outlined in the table below.
If a producer’s annual revenue is more than $2,000,000 and supply weight in all material categories is less than the tonnage exemption threshold, the producer is required to register and report.
If a producer’s annual revenue is more than $2,000,000 and supply weight in at least one material category is above the tonnage exemption threshold, the producer is required to meet all obligations (registration, reporting, collection, management, and promotion and education). However, producers are only required to meet their minimum management requirement in material categories where they are above the exemption level.
3. As outlined in the amended Blue Box Regulation (released April 19, 2022), producers of newspapers may be exempt from collection, management, and promotion and education requirements. For the purposes of this exemption, “newspapers” includes newspapers and any protective wrapping and any supplemental advertisements and inserts that are provided along with the newspapers.
For a producer to qualify for this exemption, newspapers must account for more than 70% of their total weight of Blue Box materials supplied to consumers in Ontario in a calendar year. If exempt, the producer is not required to meet collection, management, and promotion and education requirements for all Blue Box materials they supply in Ontario in the following two calendar years.
A producer whose newspaper supply accounts for 70% or less of their total weight of Blue Box materials is subject to collection, management, and promotion and education requirements for all Blue Box materials they supply in Ontario.