Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ filtered results:

• 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: PRO , Producer , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu What are certified compostable products and packaging?

  In the Blue Box Regulation, certified compostable products and packaging is defined as material that:

  • is only capable of being processed by composting, anaerobic digestion or other processes that result in decomposition by bacteria or other living organisms, and
  • is certified compostable by an international, national, or industry standard that is listed in this procedure.

  All certified compostable products and packaging reported by producers must be certified under one of the following standards:

  • CAN/BNQ 0017-088: Specifications for Compostable Plastics
  • ISO 17088: Specifications for compostable plastics
  • ASTM D6400: Standard Specification for Labeling of Plastics Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities
  • ASTM D6868: Standard Specification for Labeling of End Items that Incorporate Plastics and Polymers as Coatings or Additives with Paper and Other Substrates Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilities
  • EN 13432: Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation – Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging

   

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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: Producer , Registration , Registry , Reporting

  Toggle the submenu How do I register and report if I am a newspaper producer?

  For the purpose of reporting annual supply data under the Blue Box Regulation, the weight of newspaper 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.

  See our FAQs: “What is a newspaper?” and “Who is a newspaper producer?”

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

  Topic: About the Authority , General , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What is RPRA’s approach to free riders?

  RPRA takes a risk-based and proportional approach to compliance. This approach focuses on the potential risks that arise from non-compliance and assessing those risks to guide the use of compliance tools and the deployment of resources to minimize risk and maximize compliance. Learn more about RPRA’s Risk-Based Compliance Framework.

  As a provincial regulator, we have the following powers to bring non-compliant parties into compliance:

  • Broad inquiry powers including authority to compel documents and data
  • Inspections and investigations
  • Audits
  • Compliance Orders and Administrative Penalty Orders (amounts to be set in regulation once finalized)
  • Prosecution

  RPRA’s primary approach to compliance is through communications (C4C – Communicating for Compliance). RPRA communicates directly with obligated parties and informs them of their requirements and when and how they must be completed. A high degree of compliance is achieved with this approach.

  RPRA considers free riders a high priority to the programs we administer and focuses compliance efforts on bringing free riders into compliance with the regulations.

  See our FAQ to understand “What is a free rider?”, and “What do I do if I think a business is a free rider?”

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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: Processor , Registration

  Toggle the submenu If my retail or manufacturing business has a baler/compactor onsite, am I required to register with the Authority as a processor?

  No. If your business does not conduct resource recovery activities as its primary purpose, there is no requirement to register as a processor with the Authority.

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• Program: Blue Box

  Topic: Processor , Registration

  Toggle the submenu What information is required for Blue Box processors to register with the Authority?

  Processors need to provide the following information when registering with the Authority:

  • Business information (e.g., business name, contact information)
  • Processing site location, contact information and Blue Box materials received and processed at each location
  • Any producers or PROs the processor has contracted with

  Visit our Blue Box Processors webpage for more information.

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

  Topic: Collector , Hauler , PRO , Processor , Registration , Retreader , RPRA Program and Registry Fees

  Toggle the submenu Do service providers have to pay fees to the Authority?

  No, only producers are required to pay RPRA program fees.  The decision to make producers pay fees and cover the Authority’s costs was made to reflect the fact that the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) is based on a producer responsibility framework. Although producers may hire service providers to help meet their obligations, the responsibility remains with the producer.

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