Frequently Asked Questions

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

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Registry , Reporting , RPRA Program and Registry Fees

  Toggle the submenu How do I pay my fees to RPRA by bank withdrawal (pre-authorized debit)?

  If you select bank withdrawal as your method of payment, this authorizes the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority to make a one-time withdrawal for the Registry invoice payment from the account you provided.

  Bank Withdrawal – Important Terms:

  • You have authorized RPRA to make one-time debits from your account. RPRA will obtain your authorization before any additional one-time or sporadic withdrawal is debited from your account. You have agreed that this confirmation may be provided at least three (3) calendar days before the first payment is withdrawn from your account. You have waived any and all requirements for pre-notification of the account being debited.
  • Your payments are being made on behalf of a business.
  • Your agreement may be cancelled provided notice is received thirty (30) days before the next withdrawal. If any of the above details are incorrect, please contact us immediately at the contact information below. If the details are correct, you do not need to do anything further and your Pre-Authorized Debits (PAD) will be processed. You have certain recourse rights if any debit does not comply with these terms. For example, you have the right to receive a reimbursement for any PAD that is not authorized or is not consistent with this PAD Agreement. To obtain more information on your recourse rights, contact your financial institution or visit www.payments.ca.

  Please note:

  • Registry invoices are considered due on receipt.
  • Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
  • It may take 1-2 weeks for the involved banks to process your payment.

  If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at registry@rpra.ca or call 647-496-0530 or toll-free at 1-833-600-0530.

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

  Topic: Producer , Registration , Registry , Reporting , RPRA Program and Registry Fees

  Toggle the submenu How do I pay my fees to RPRA by credit card? 

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

  Follow these steps to complete your payment:

  1. When you are in the payment method section in the Registry, select credit card as your preferred method.
  2. Input your credit card details.
  3. Click submit and payment will process automatically.

  Please note:

  • Registry invoices are considered due on receipt.
  • Invoices are in CAD funds and payments must be sent in CAD.
  • Once your transaction has been approved, your payment will be reflected in your Registry account immediately.

  If you have questions relating to fee payment, contact our Compliance and Registry Team at registry@rpra.ca or call 647-496-0530 or toll-free at 1-833-600-0530.

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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: Lighting

  Topic: Hauler , Processor , Refurbisher , Registration

  Toggle the submenu Am I a lighting service provider?

  • A lighting hauler is a person that arranges the transport of lighting used in Ontario that are destined for processing, reuse, refurbishing or disposal.
  • A lighting refurbisher is a person that prepares or refurbishes lighting used in Ontario for the purpose of reuse.
  • A lighting processor is a person that processes lighting used in Ontario for the purpose of resource recovery.

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• Program: Lighting

  Topic: Producer , Registration

  Toggle the submenu Am I a lighting producer?

  A person is considered a lighting producer under the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation if they supply lighting into Ontario and:

  • Are the brand holder for the lighting and have residency in Canada;
  • If there is no resident brand holder, have residency in Ontario and import lighting from outside of Ontario;
  • If there is no resident importer, have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g. online sales); or
  • If there is no resident marketer, do not have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g., online sales).

  Even if you do not meet the above definition, there may be circumstances where you qualify as a producer. Read the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation for more detail or contact the Compliance and Registry Team for guidance at registry@rpra.ca or (647) 496-0530 or toll-free at (833) 600-0530.

  See our FAQ to understand “What is lighting under the EEE Regulation?”, “Who is a brand holder?”

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

  Topic: General , Producer

  Toggle the submenu What do I do if I think a business is a free rider?

  We encourage anybody who believes an entity is a free rider to contact RPRA’s Compliance and Registry Team at 1-833-600-0530 or by emailing registry@rpra.ca with information about that entity. RPRA reviews every free rider allegation that is referred to us.

  We do not share information about our inspections or progress on specific free rider cases.

  See our FAQ to understand “What is a free rider?” and “What is RPRA’s approach to free riders?”

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

  Topic: General , PRO , Producer , Registration

  Toggle the submenu What is a free rider?

  Free riders are obligated parties that:

  • Have not registered or reported to RPRA
  • Have not established a collection and management system (if they are so required to), or;
  • Are not operating a collection and management system (if they are so required to).

  See our FAQs to understand “What is RPRA’s approach to free riders?”, and “What do I do if I think a business is a free rider?”

  To note:

  • Some producers only have requirements to register and report. Please refer to your specific program page on our website to understand producer obligations.
  • Collection and management systems may be accomplished by a producer responsibility organization (PRO) on behalf of a producer through contractual arrangements between the producer and PRO. If a PRO is managing a producer’s collection and management requirements, producers must identify that PRO to RPRA.

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

  Topic: General , Producer

  Toggle the submenu Who is a consumer under the Batteries, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Hazardous and Special Products, and Tires Regulations?

  Under the Batteries, EEE, HSP, and Tire Regulations, a consumer is any end user of a product. A consumer includes an individual who obtains the product for the individual’s own use and a business that obtains the product for the business’s own use.

  See our FAQ to understand “Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation?”

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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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