Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the lists of registered PROs:

Tire PROs

Battery PROs

ITT/AV PROs

Lighting PROs

Blue Box PROs

Hazardous and Special Products PROs

These lists will continue to be updated as new PROs register with RPRA.

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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If you are using a different browser, the Registry will not function.

Yes. PROs are private enterprises and charge for their services to producers.

Each commercial contract a producer enters with a PRO will have its own set of terms and conditions. It is up to the PRO and producer to determine the terms of their contractual agreement, including fees and payment schedule.

RPRA does not set the terms of the contractual arrangements between PROs and producers.

No, producers are not required to sign up with a PRO to meet their regulatory requirements. It is a business decision if a producer chooses to work with a PRO, and a producer can choose to meet their obligations without a PRO.

Most producers will choose to contract with a PRO to provide collection, hauling, processing, retreading and/or refurbishing services to achieve their collection and management requirements unless they carry out these activities themselves.

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

Yes. Producers and service providers can enter into contractual agreements with multiple PROs.

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.

No. Producers and PROs working on their behalf must operate the collection and management systems they have established as required by the Regulation even after their minimum management requirements are met.

Under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, RPRA is required to provide an annual report to the Minister that includes information on aggregate producer performance, and a summary of compliance and enforcement activities. Under section 51 of the Act, the Registrar also is required to post every order issued on the Registry.

A producer responsibility organization (PRO) is a person retained by a producer for the purpose of carrying out one or more of the following producer regulatory responsibilities:

• Arranging for the establishment or operation of collection or management systems
• Establishing or operating a collection or management system
• Preparing and submitting reports

In addition, under the Hazardous and Special Products regulation, a PRO includes a person retained by a producer for the purpose of:

• Implementing a promotion and education program

PROs operate in a competitive market, and producers can choose the PRO (or PROs) they want to work with. The terms and conditions of each contract with a PRO may vary.

How do I find a PRO?

Here are the lists of registered PROs:

• Tire PROs
• Battery PROs
• ITT/AV PROs
• Lighting PROs
• Blue Box PROs
• Hazardous and Special Products PROs

These lists will continue to be updated as new PROs register with RPRA.

See our FAQ What is the difference between a PRO and a prospective PRO?

No. RPRA does not administer contracts or provide incentives. Under the Regulations, producers will either work with a producer responsibility organization (PRO) or work directly with collection sites, haulers, refurbisher’s and/or processors to meet their collection and management requirements. Any reimbursement for services provided towards meeting a producers’ collection and management requirements will be determined through commercial contracts.

To discuss any payment, contact your service provider or a PRO. RPRA does not set the terms of the contractual arrangements between PROs and producers.

To create a Registry account with RPRA, you will need to provide:

• CRA Business Number (BN)
• Legal Business Name
• Business address and phone number
• Address of where you work (if different from the main office)
• Contact information for your billing contact (this may also be added later)

For regulatory purposes, we need to know your legal name — the name you are incorporated under.  We also need to know your business operating name if it is different from your legal business name to add to our published list of registrants. The list of registrants will be available on our website to allow registrants to interact with one another and to provide information to the public.

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.

Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) means that producers are responsible and accountable for collecting and managing their products and packaging after consumers have finished using them.

For programs under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA), producers are directly responsible and accountable for meeting mandatory collection and recycling requirements for end of life products. With IPR, producers have choice in how they meet their requirements. They can collect and recycle the products themselves, or contract with producer responsibility organizations (PROs) to help them meet their requirements.

RPRA is the regulator designated by law to oversee the operation and wind up of current waste diversion programs under the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016. The Authority provides oversight, compliance, and enforcement activities with respect to regulations made under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016.

RPRA recognizes the commercially sensitive nature of the information that parties submit to the registry. RPRA is committed to protecting the commercially sensitive information and personal information it receives or creates in the course of conducting its regulatory functions. In recognition of this commitment, RPRA, in addition to the regulatory requirements of confidentiality set out in the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act 2016 (section 57), has created an Access and Privacy Code that applies to its day-to-day operations, including the regulatory functions that it carries out.

Obligated material supply, collection, and resource recovery data will only be made public in aggregate form, to protect the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information.

RPRA will publish the names and contact information of all registered businesses – producers, service providers (collectors, haulers, processors, etc.), and producer responsibility organizations. The public will also have access to a list or method to locate any obligated material collection sites, as this information becomes available.

As part of its regulatory mandate, the Registrar will provide information to the public related to compliance and enforcement activities that have been undertaken.

The information that is submitted to the Registry will be used by the Registrar to confirm compliance and to track overall collection and management system performance. It will also be used by RPRA to update its policies and procedures and by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for policy development.

In accordance with the legislation (Resource Recovery Circular Economy Act 2016, section 57), RPRA is required to comply with strict confidentiality requirements. RPRA has also developed an Access and Privacy Code that applies to its day-to-day operations.

The Registry has been developed according to cybersecurity best practice principles. This includes VPN-based restrictions, staff training on all cybersecurity policies, staff access to the Registry on a strict role-requirement basis, and registry interface security features (example: two-factor authentication).

Under the Blue Box Regulation, blue box product packaging includes:

• Primary packaging is for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of a product at the point of sale, including all packaging components, but does not include convenience packaging or transport packaging (e.g., film and cardboard used to package a 24-pack of water bottles and the label on the water bottle).
• Transportation packaging which is provided in addition to primary packaging to facilitate the handling or transportation of one or more products such as a pallet, bale wrap or box, but does not include a shipping container designed for transporting things by road, ship, rail or air.
• Convenience packaging includes service packaging and is used in addition to primary packaging to facilitate end users’ handling or transportation of one or more products. It also includes packaging that is supplied at the point of sale by food-service or other service providers to facilitate the delivery of goods and includes items such as bags and boxes that are supplied to end users at check out, whether or not there is a separate fee for these items.
• Service accessories are products supplied with a food or beverage product and facilitate the consumption of that food or beverage product and are ordinarily disposed of after a single use, whether or not they could be reused (e.g., a straw, cutlery or plate).
• Ancillary elements are integrated into packaging (directly hung or attached to packaging) and are intended to be consumed or disposed of with the primary packaging. Ancillary elements help the consumer use the product. Examples of ancillary packaging include a mascara brush forming part of a container closure, a toy on the top of candy acting as part of the closure, devices for measuring dosage that form part of a detergent container cap, or the pouring spout on a juice or milk carton.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, paper products include printed and unprinted paper, such as a newspaper, magazine, greeting cards, calendars (promotional or purchased), notebooks and daily planners, promotional material, directory, catalogue or paper used for copying, writing or any other general use.

Hard or soft cover books and hardcover periodicals are not considered paper products.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, a packaging-like product is:

• ordinarily used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, presentation or transportation of things
• ordinarily disposed of after a single use
• not used as packaging when it is supplied to the consumer

Packaging-like products include aluminum foil, a metal tray, plastic film, plastic wrap, wrapping paper, a paper bag, beverage cup, plastic bag, cardboard box or envelope, but does not include a product made from flexible plastic that is ordinarily used for the containment, protection, or handling of food, such as cling wrap, sandwich bags, or freezer bags.

If a producer is unsure whether or not their product is a packaging-like product, they can ask themselves the following questions to help determine whether the product is obligated to be reported under the Blue Box Regulation:

1. Is the product actually packaging around a separate product?
   • If yes, the product is not a packaging-like product. Instead, the product is considered blue box packaging and must be reported as blue box material.  If no, continue to the next question.
2. Is the product used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, presentation or transportation of a thing(s)?
   • If no, the product is not a packaging-like product. If yes, continue to the next question.
3. Is the product typically disposed of after a single use (regardless if some may wash and reuse it)?
   • If no, the product is not a packaging-like product. If yes, continue to the next question.
4. Is the product made from flexible plastic that is for the containment, protection or handling of food?
   • If yes, the product is not a packaging-like product. If no, the product is a packaging-like product and must be reported as blue box material.

If a producer is still unsure whether or not their product is a packaging-like product, they should contact the Compliance and Registry Team at 833-600-0530 or [email protected].

See our FAQ to understand “What is blue box product packaging?”.

Product packaging added to a product can be added at any stage of the production, distribution and supply of the product. A person adds packaging to a product if they:

• make the packaging available for another person to add the packaging to the product
• cause another person to add the packaging to a product
• combine the product and the packaging

For the portion of the product packaging that a brand holder added to the product, a person is considered a producer:

• if they are the brand holder of the product and are resident in Canada
• if no resident brand holder, they are resident in Ontario and import the product from outside of Ontario
• if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the product directly to consumers in Ontario
• if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
• if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

For the portion of the product packaging that an importer of the product into Ontario added to the product, a person is considered a producer:

• if they are resident in Ontario and import the product from outside of Ontario
• if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the product directly to consumers in Ontario
• if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
• if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

For any portion of the packaging that is not described above, the producer is the retailer who supplied the product to consumers in Ontario.

See our FAQs to understand “What are paper products?” and “What are packaging-like products?”.

For paper products and packaging-like products, a person is considered a producer:

• if they are the brand holder of the paper product or packaging-like product and are resident in Canada
• if no resident brand holder, they are resident in Ontario and import the paper product or packaging-like product from outside of Ontario
• if no resident importer, they are the retailer that supplied the paper product or packaging-like product directly to consumers in Ontario
• if the retailer who would be the producer is a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer
• if the producer is a business that is a franchise, the franchisor is the obligated producer, if that franchisor has franchisees that are resident in Ontario

No, transport packaging is only obligated when supplied to a consumer in Ontario. Any transport packaging removed by a retailer or other entity before the product is supplied to a consumer is not obligated under this regulation.

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.

The brand holder is the obligated producer.

A marketplace facilitator only becomes obligated for products supplied through its marketplace where the producer would have been a retailer. If the producer is a brand holder or an importer, they remain the obligated producer even when products are distributed by a marketplace facilitator.

A retailer is a business that supplies products to consumers, whether online or at a physical location.

Blue Box materials supplied to the IC&I sector are not obligated, therefore, deductions are available for materials supplied to a consumer in an IC&I setting.

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
• Hotels
• Hospitals
• Community centres
• Places of worship
• Recreation facilities
• Sports and entertainment venues
• Universities and colleges
• Manufacturing facilities
• Golf courses
• Cemeteries
• Amusement parks

Producers are responsible for material collected from eligible sources in the producer run Common Collection System, Alternative or Supplemental Collections Systems. Material from these categories is not allowed to be deducted:

• Material that is collected from a residence through a curbside or depot collection service.
• 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 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.

Please see the Reporting Guidance Ineligible Source Deductions for the 2026 Blue Box Supply Report for more information on how to determine and use these deductions.

Also see our FAQs: ‘What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?’, ‘Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation’

RPRA does not vet PROs before listing them on the website. Any business that registers as a PRO will be listed. Producers should do their own due diligence when determining which PRO to work with.

First Nation communities interested in receiving producer-run Blue Box services must register with the Authority. To register, communities must submit contact information of the person responsible for waste management in the community using the First Nation community registration form. Once completed, the registration form should be submitted by email to [email protected].

Visit our First Nation webpage for more information.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, consumers are individuals who use a product and its packaging for personal, family or household purposes.

A marketplace facilitator is a person who contracts with a marketplace seller to facilitate the supply of the marketplace seller’s products by:

• Owning or operating an online consumer-facing marketplace or forum in which the marketplace seller’s products are listed or advertised for supply and where offer and acceptance are communicated between a marketplace seller and a buyer (e.g., a website), and
• Providing for the physical distribution of a marketplace seller’s products to the consumer (e.g., storage, preparation, shipping of products).

Under the Blue Box Regulation, if a retailer (online or at a physical location) is determined to be the producer based on hierarchies, but they are a marketplace seller, the marketplace facilitator is the obligated producer. A marketplace seller is a person who contracts with a marketplace facilitator to supply its products.

As an obligated Blue Box producer, you are required to:

• Register with RPRA
• Report supply data to RPRA annually
• Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for Blue Box collection systems
• Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for managing collected Blue Box materials, including meeting a management requirement set out in the regulation
• Meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for promotion and education
• Provide third-party audits of actions taken towards meeting your collection and management requirements, and report on those actions to RPRA through annual performance reports

There is an exemption in the Blue Box Regulation for producers whose gross annual revenue generated from products and services in Ontario is less than $2 million. The following sources are excluded for the purpose of determining revenue:

• Government tax revenue
• Property taxes
• General assistance funding received under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund
• Payments in lieu of taxes
• Canadian or Ontarian government grants available to municipalities with the intent of investing in public infrastructure

There is an exemption in the Blue Box regulation for producers whose gross annual revenue generated from products and services in Ontario less than $2 million. The revenue that counts towards the exemption is revenue from products and services. Charitable donations are not revenue from products and services and therefore does not count towards the exemption. Revenue other than charitable donations that are recorded from registered charities will be considered revenue from products and services.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, there are three types of exemptions that apply to producers:

1. Based on a producer’s gross annual revenue,
2. based on the weight of Blue Box materials supplied into Ontario, and
3. 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.

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

Producers are required to register with RPRA within 30 days of supplying obligated Blue Box material into Ontario.

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 supply data from the previous calendar year 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?”

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?”

There are two allowable deductions for Blue Box materials:

The “installation deduction” for materials 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).

The “ineligible source deduction” for materials 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 was expanded by the regulatory amendment in July 2023.

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 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.

Materials that are deducted cannot count toward a producer’s management requirement.

Please see the Reporting Guidance Ineligible Source Deductions for the 2026 Blue Box Supply Report for more information on how to determine and use these deductions.

Yes, a producer can change PROs at any time. Producers must notify RPRA of any change in PROs within 30 days of the change.

Account admins must add any new, or manage existing, contacts under the program they wish to give them access to in order for the contact to be able to submit a report or pay an invoice. The account admins are the only user than can add a Primary Contact and an Accounts Payable User to a Registry Account. 

To Manage contacts on your Registry account, please see the following steps: 

1. Log into your account. 
2. Once you are logged in, click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner and select Manage Users. 
3. Under Actions, click Edit to update preferences of existing user primary and secondary users. 
4. Click Add New User to add an additional contact to your account. 
5. To give reporting access to a Primary Contact, select the program from the drop-down that you would like to grant them access to. 
6. Click “Set Accounts Payable User” to add an AP contact to your account. 

In determining whether an obligated producer used best efforts to meet their management requirements, the Compliance Team will consider whether the producer, acting in good faith, took all reasonable steps to meet the requirements outlined in the applicable regulation.

For example, best efforts in the context of management requirements may involve a producer regularly monitoring the volume of material being collected and managed, and implementing plans for increasing those volumes if the requirements are unlikely to be met.

Producers can contact the Compliance Team to ask specific questions about fulfilling their obligations.

Yes, a food court restaurant can deduct Blue Box materials that are disposed of in its mall recycling receptacles.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, allowable deductions for producers include Blue Box materials that are deposited into a receptacle at a location that is not an eligible source and where the product related to the Blue Box material was supplied and used or consumed.

This applies to food court restaurants located in a mall or in the base of an office tower. Blue Box materials that were disposed of in the buildings’ recycling receptacles and were supplied and used or consumed within that physical building are an allowable deduction. Blue Box materials that were disposed of in the buildings’ recycling receptacles but were not supplied and used or consumed within that physical building are not deductible.

This does not reduce the obligation of a producer to provide complete and accurate supply data or limit the ability of a RPRA inspector to review the data and related records for the purpose of determining compliance.

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.

You are a Blue Box processor if you process Blue Box material that was supplied to a consumer in Ontario for the purposes of resource recovery.

For the purpose of resource recovery, processing includes, and is not limited to:

• Sorting
• Baling
• Paper and cardboard shredding
• Plastic reprocessing, which includes grinding, washing, pelletizing, compounding, etc.
• Crushed glass reprocessing
• Aluminum and steel reprocessing

See our FAQs to understand “Who is a consumer under the Blue Box Regulation”.

No, only producers are required to pay RPRA program fees.  The decision to make producers pay fees and cover RPRA’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.

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.

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.

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.

Blue Box producers must provide the same quantity of public space receptacles as the previous WDTA program. Producers are obligated to collect materials before the bins are full and must repair or replace any damaged receptacles within one year of notification. Please note that producers are not obligated to provide receptacles for, or to collect from, any newly created public spaces after December 31, 2025.

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.

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.

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?”

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 [email protected] 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?”

A newspaper is a regularly (usually daily or weekly) printed document consisting of large, folded, stapled or unstapled, sheets of paper containing news reports, articles, photographs, and advertisements. Newspapers include broadsheet, tabloid, and free newspaper categories.

Newspapers have traditionally been published in print on low-grade paper known as newsprint. However, not all documents printed on newsprint are considered newspapers. For example, flyers printed on newsprint quality paper supplied separately from newspapers are not newspapers for the purpose of supply data reporting under the Blue Box Regulation.

For the purpose of supply reporting, newspapers include any supplemental advertisements and inserts that are provided with/inserted in them (e.g., a flyer or circular that is placed within the folds of a newspaper). Inserts may be composed of any material including, but not limited to, paper. See the FAQ: How do newspaper producers report their supply of newspapers?

Note that magazines are not considered newspapers; a magazine is a periodical publication containing articles and illustrations, typically covering a particular subject or area of interest, and printed on high-quality paper.

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?”

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

Yes, producers are obligated to provide collection services to new single-family residences, but these locations must become eligible sources first.

A new residence becomes an eligible source only after the local municipality, local services board, or First Nation registers the new single-family residences (also referred to as “natural growth”) by updating its address information with the Common Collection System Administrator, Circular Materials. Once the new addresses are properly registered, producers are obligated to provide collection services as soon as is practicable.

Municipalities, local services boards and First Nations should contact Circular Materials if they have new residences that need Blue Box collection service. Contact information can be found by visiting Circular Materials’ website and typing in your community’s name.

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].

RPRA will accept a supporting document that substantiates the data on the total Blue Box material weight deducted (e.g., own methodology).

Producers must retain all records of calculations and methodologies used to determine any reported supply deductions.

Please see the Reporting Guidance Ineligible Source Deductions for the 2026 Blue Box Supply Report for more information on how to determine and use these deductions.

For the purposes of the Blue Box Regulation, a beverage container is a container that:

1. Contains a ready-to-drink beverage product,
   • “Ready-to-drink” means a beverage packaged by the manufacturer for immediate consumption that does not require any preparation. A ready-to-drink beverage is intended to be consumed as purchased and does not require a dispensing device to be consumed.
   • “Beverage” means a consumable liquid for enjoyment or hydration. It does not include an “alcoholic beverage”, or “non-alcoholic beer, wine or spirits” as defined in O. Reg. 391/21.
2. Is made from metal, glass, paper or rigid plastic, or any combination of these materials, and
   • If a beverage container is made only of flexible plastic, it would be obligated as a Blue Box material but would be reported under the material category “Flexible Plastic” rather than the “Beverage Container” material category. The Blue Box Regulation defines flexible plastic as unmoulded plastic. For more information on reporting of packaging and beverage containers that consist of multiple materials, please see the “Component Threshold Rule” in the Blue Box Verification and Audit Procedure Registry Procedure.
3. Is sealed by its manufacturer.
   • A cup provided to a consumer in a restaurant filled with fountain pop is not sealed by the manufacturer and is therefore not considered a beverage container. However, the cup (including the lid and straw) would still be obligated as a Blue Box material in the paper and/or plastic material categories.

For greater clarity, the Registrar does not consider the packaging from the following product types to be a beverage container:

• Infant formula
• Meal replacements, nutritional supplements or dietary supplements
• Regulated health products
• Concentrated beverages intended to be mixed or diluted before consumption, such as frozen juices, cocktail mixers, extracts and flavour enhancers
• Liquids that are not intended to be consumed as purchased such as soup, syrups, cream and other beverage additives, whipping cream, buttermilk, broth
• Beverage containers made of flexible plastics such as milk bags (these are still to be reported as flexible plastics)

Milk products and substitutes (e.g., soy beverage, almond beverage, a rigid plastic container of milk, drinkable yogurt) are beverage containers provided they are packaged in a container as defined above.

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.

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.

Yes, beverage containers are eligible for this deduction starting in 2026.

The allowable deduction is permitted for beverage containers that are collected from a business or institution where producers are not required to provide Blue Box collection services.

See our FAQ to understand “What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?”

A brand is any mark, word, name, symbol, design, device or graphical element, or a combination thereof, including a registered or unregistered trademark, which identifies a product and distinguishes it from other products.

A brand holder is a person who owns or licenses a brand or otherwise has rights to market a product under the brand.

Note:

• If there are two or more brand holders, the producer most directly connected to the production of the material is the brand holder.
• If more than one material produced by different brand holders are marketed as a single package, the producer who is more directly connected to the primary product in the package is the brand holder.

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.

Yes, cheques are an obligated material and should be reported under the paper material category. If you have questions regarding how to determine whether you are the brand holder and are obligated to report the supply of cheques, please reach out to the Compliance & Registry team at [email protected].

Account admins have access to all information within a registrant’s account. They can create and assign primary and secondary users’ access to the account, edit and submit reports, and pay fees. They are the only ones who can manage PROs. Account admins can view all activities users undertake. They will also be the recipient of emails from the Registry portal. 
 
Primary users can only assign secondary users’ access to the account, edit and submit reports and pay fees. 
 
Secondary users can only edit and submit reports and pay fees. 
 
Accounts payable users (AP) are able to access and pay invoices, manage saved payment methods, edit and submit reports and email notifications about billing and payments. The AP user can also be contacted by RPRA in the event of a billing or payment question. 

Paints, pesticides, solvents fertilizers obligated under the HSP Regulation along with their primary packaging must be accepted at collection sites collecting the corresponding material. For instance, empty paint cans and pesticide aerosols obligated under the HSP Regulation must be accepted at collection sites collecting paint and pesticides.

See our FAQ to understand “Under the HSP Regulation, is the packaging of antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, paints and coatings obligated?” and “Are containers that are obligated under the HSP Regulation obligated as Blue Box materials?“

RPRA collects 13% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on applicable fees. This requirement is based on a ruling received from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which determined that HST must be charged on fees collected under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA).

HST applies to all RRCEA producer responsibility programs, as well as the Excess Soil and Hazardous Waste programs.

Invoices issued before January 1, 2023, were amended to reflect HST. Registrants can access amended invoices in their Registry accounts under the Invoices tab, where the HST amount and the amended invoice date are shown.

Important notes:

• On the amended invoices there have been no changes to the Invoice Total and registrants will not be required to pay any additional monies to RPRA for past invoices.
• Registrants may be able to claim input tax credits for the HST collected on RPRA fees, for both the amended invoices and new invoices issued January 1, 2023, onwards. However, RPRA is not in a position to provide tax advice and suggests you consult your internal or external accountants to seek their counsel.
• All new invoices issued effective January 1, 2023, will contain appropriate information identifying the amount of the HST and other relevant details. These invoices will also be displayed under the “Invoices” tab in a registrants’ Registry account.

Registrants can access past invoices in their Registry account under a new tab labelled “Invoices”. A banner will be displayed that highlights whether an invoice has been amended to include HST as well as the date the amended invoice was reissued. This will show on all invoices with an invoice date before December 21, 2022. See sample screenshot below.

Registrants can access past invoices in their Registry account under the “Invoices & Payments” tab. From here, registrants can view, download and pay their invoices.  

See sample screenshot below: 

A producer’s management requirement is how much Blue Box material they must ensure is collected and processed into recovered resources each year. Management requirements are calculated based on what they supplied into Ontario one year prior and the resource recovery percentage as set in the regulation. A producer’s management requirement is calculated separately for each Blue Box material category (beverage container, glass, flexible plastic, rigid plastic, metal and paper).

Some producers are exempt from having a management requirement based on their supply data, for more information on exemptions see the FAQ Are there exemptions for Blue Box producers? If a producer does not have a management requirement they do not have any collection, management or promotion and education obligations.

A producer with a management requirement must also provide collection and promotion and education services in Ontario. Most producers will contract the services of a producer responsibility organization (PRO) to meet their collection, management and promotion and education obligations.

To view your management requirement(s), log into your registry account, download a copy of your Blue Box Supply Report and review the section with your minimum management requirements. Management requirements for a given year are determined by supply data from two years prior. For example, 2026 management requirements were based on 2024 supply data (submitted in producers’ 2025 Supply Report).

Unsure if you are a Blue Box producer? See our FAQs Am I a producer of Blue Box product packaging? And Am I a producer of paper products and packaging-like products?

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.

RPRA has developed a library of resources to support Registry users navigate the online system and meet their regulatory requirements. RPRA consistently adds to this pool of resources based on upcoming requirements, emerging needs, and questions we receive from stakeholders.

View Registry resources for each program:

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

Registry Resources such as Registry Procedures, Compliance Bulletins, and Reporting Guides can be found on our Blue Box 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.

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 [email protected] 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.

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 [email protected] 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.

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 [email protected] 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?

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?”

No, where a producer is exempt, the regulatory obligations do not become the responsibility of the organization that is next in the producer hierarchy. The exempt producer remains the “producer” for those materials; they are just exempt from certain requirements under the regulation as set out in the relevant provisions providing for the exemption. This is the case in all RRCEA regulations.

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 your community is south of the Far North boundary, you can complete the registration form and email it to [email protected] to express your community’s interest in participating in the producer-run Blue Box program. A Compliance Officer will reach out to you to discuss the reporting and offer process, confirm the information provided in the registration form, and answer any questions you may have.

No, First Nations are not required to participate. First Nations can choose if the producer-run Blue Box system is the best option for their community. One of RPRA’s roles in overseeing the Blue Box program is to provide as much information as possible to support a community’s informed decision.

If your community is still undecided about whether or not to register, we encourage you to reach out to a Compliance Officer at [email protected] with your questions or to get more information.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, allowable deductions for producers include Blue Box materials that are deposited into a receptacle at a location that is not an eligible source and where the product related to the Blue Box material was supplied to a consumer and used or consumed.

This applies to locations such as arenas, college and university campuses and food courts.

A producer must demonstrate the following with regards to an allowable deduction:

• They are the obligated producer for the materials for which they are claiming a deduction, and the weight of those materials was included in their reported supply data.
• The materials were supplied onsite to a consumer for personal, family or household purposes.
• The same materials that were supplied, were used or consumed onsite and disposed of in a receptacle onsite.

Blue Box materials that were disposed of in a building’s receptacles but were not supplied and used or consumed within that physical building are not deductible. This deduction applies to all Blue Box materials supplied for personal, family or household, but not those supplied for business purposes.

This does not reduce the obligation of a producer to provide complete and accurate supply data or limit the ability of a RPRA inspector to review the data and related records for the purpose of determining compliance.

A newspaper producer is a person who supplies newspapers to consumers in Ontario. For the purpose of the Blue Box Regulation, newspapers include broadsheet, tabloid or free newspaper. For further information, see the FAQ: What is a newspaper?

Note that a producer of supplemental advertisements or flyers that are supplied with a newspaper would not be considered a newspaper producer as they do not supply the actual broadsheet, tabloid, or free newspaper. This producer cannot use the newspaper exemption percentage to be exempt from Blue Box collection and management requirements. See the FAQ: Are there exemptions for Blue Box producers?

Unbranded products are products that do not have any mark, word, name, symbol, design, device or graphical element, or any combination of these, including a registered or unregistered trademark, which identifies a product and distinguishes it from other products.

The retailer who supplied the product to a consumer in Ontario, either online or at a physical location, is the obligated producer for the supply of Blue Box packaging on that unbranded product.

For example: A cucumber in plastic film sold at a grocery store that does not have any stickers, labeling or any other information associated with a brand is considered unbranded. As the retailer for that unbranded product, the grocery store is the obligated producer for the packaging supplied with the cucumber.

Any public sector institution, including colleges and universities, that offers a self-serve hot drink machine for use by students and employees (i.e., consumers) must report all the Blue Box materials supplied with the machine to serve the hot drinks. This includes branded and unbranded single-use cups, lids, etc.

Any donated or re-supplied paper products or other Blue Box materials that are supplied to consumers through a reuse store or upcycling event should not be included in your supply report.

Public sector institutions must report all branded and unbranded Blue Box packaging supplied or sold with food served in their owned and operated on-site facilities. These facilities include but are not limited to cafeterias, pubs, cafes, and in the case of a college or university, faculty offices.

It is important to consider other situations where food service Blue Box packaging is supplied to consumers. For example, a college must report the packaging used in their Culinary and Hospitality programs that allow students to take home food prepared in class.

Public sector institutions, such as colleges and universities, are suppliers of Blue Box materials to consumers in Ontario. They supply Blue Box materials to consumers on-site (e.g., food service packaging, unprinted paper in photocopiers, etc.) and off-site (e.g., mailings).

For the purposes of supply reporting, colleges, universities, and other public sector institutions must determine the total amount of Blue Box material they supply to consumers in Ontario. One way to gather this data is by canvassing internal departments to obtain annual weights of Blue Box materials supplied to consumers on-site and off-site.

Also see:

• FAQ: What deductions are available to producers under the Blue Box Regulation?
• Compliance Bulletin: What Blue Box materials need to be reported?

Eligible Ontario institutions are obligated to manage their waste under several regulations, each of which imposes different obligations and requirements.

Under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act, Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) sector organizations have obligations to establish and operate an internal collection system that separates the waste generated on-site into different material categories (i.e., a source-separation program).

The Blue Box Regulation, under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, obligates producers of Blue Box material to collect, manage, and report on the materials that they supply to consumers both on-site and off-site.

For the purposes of supply reporting, a book is defined as a series of written, printed, or illustrated pages encased in a protective cover bound with glue or sewn with thread.

If you are unsure whether your product qualifies as a book, please contact RPRA’s Compliance and Registry Team at 1-833-600-0530 or by emailing [email protected].

Also see:

• Compliance Bulletin: What Blue Box materials need to be reported?

Each Blue Box producer is required to report the Blue Box packaging they add to a product.

For example: a college or university bookstore plans to ship a book to a consumer in Ontario. The bookstore staff packages the book in a small box with the packing slip and inserts the box into a plastic mailer supplied by the delivery service with the required label affixed.

In this scenario, the college or university is the obligated producer of the small box and packing slip and must report these materials in their supply report, whereas the delivery company is the obligated producer of the plastic mailer and label and must report these materials in their supply report.

Also see:
Am I a producer of Blue Box product packaging?

Producers are not required to collect and manage their own branded products and materials. Instead, a producer is expected to collect and manage a portion of similar materials in Ontario. The portion of material that a producer collects and manages is known as their minimum management requirement. A minimum management requirement, which is set based on calculations outlined in the applicable Regulation, is the weight of the products or packaging that the producer must ensure is collected and managed. The calculated amount is proportionate to the weight of materials that producer supplied into the province.

For example, a producer who supplied laptops into Ontario does not need to collect and manage their own branded laptops. Instead, they must ensure that they collect and manage an equivalent weight of information technology, telecommunications, and audio-visual equipment (ITT/AV) materials.

Similarly, a producer who supplied cardboard boxes into Ontario does not need to collect and manage those exact cardboard boxes. Rather, they need to ensure that an equivalent weight of paper is collected and managed.

Almost all producers will work with producer responsibility organizations (PROs) for the purposes of meeting their obligations to collect and manage materials. PROs establish collection and management systems across Ontario for different material types. A producer can meet their obligations to collect and manage materials by entering into a contract with a PRO to provide these services on their behalf.

Account admins can manage password resets for all active users in the account. Primary users are also able to manage password resets, but only for active users within the programs they are the primary user for. If secondary users require a password reset, they can reach out to the account admin or primary user to do so. 

See FAQ: How can I reset a password in the registry? 

The account admin or primary user navigates to the program homepage of which the user requiring a password reset is enrolled in. The account admin or primary user then clicks their username at the top right of the page to show the drop-down list and selects Manage Users. 

In the Active Users table, the account admin or primary user clicks Reset Password on the row for the user they want to reset the password for and clicks Confirm. 

The user’s password has now been reset. They will receive an email with a password reset link. 

Note: the password reset link will expire within 24 hours. If the link expires before the user creates a new password, the account admin or primary must click “Reset Password” again to restart the process. 

See the FAQ: Who can reset passwords in the registry?  

If you need to change an email address in your registry account, please contact the Compliance Team at [email protected]. Registry users cannot update email addresses themselves; this can only be completed by RPRA.

Blue Box materials (i.e., products and packaging made of metal, glass, paper, flexible plastic, rigid plastic, and beverage containers) are typically collected directly from residences through the provincial Blue Box Program. RPRA’s Where to Recycle map displays public locations for recycling materials that don’t belong in your Blue Box (e.g., batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires).

For more information on recycling Blue Box materials, visit Circular Materials’ website. Circular Materials is the administrator of Ontario’s Blue Box collection system.

Under the WDTA Blue Box program, some municipalities may have chosen to provide Blue Box collection to facilities that were not residences, such as commercial properties, municipally owned and operated buildings or other institutions.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, only certain types of facilities can receive collection under the producer-run Blue Box program. These facilities are:

1. Multi-residential facilities with six or more dwelling units
2. Retirement homes that are operated by a municipality or an entity that does not operate with the purpose of generating a profit or were included in the WDTA Blue Box program on August 15, 2019. “Retirement home” has the same meaning as in the Retirement Homes Act, 2010.
3. Long-term care homes that are non-profit long-term care homes or were included in the WDTA Blue Box program on August 15, 2019. “Long-term care home” has the same meaning as in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021. “Non-profit long-term care home” has the same meaning as the regulations under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
4. Buildings that contain public or private elementary or secondary schools. “School” and “private school” have the same meaning as in the Education Act.

Under the WDTA Blue Box program, municipalities could choose to accept these materials in their programs. This choice varied between municipalities.

Under the producer-run Blue Box program, none of these materials are considered obligated Blue Box materials. The Blue Box Regulation specifically states that hard or soft cover books or products made from flexible plastic that is ordinarily used for the containment, protection and or handling of food, such as cling wrap, sandwich bags or freezer bags are not Blue Box materials. Pots and pans do not meet the definition of Blue Box material under the Regulation.

Producers are not obligated to collect or manage the recovery of these materials.

Registrants may request that a Deputy Registrar review a Compliance Order issued to them by an inspector. The request must be made, in writing, by the registrant to a Deputy Registrar within seven days of being served with the order. The request must include:

• The parts of the order that the request for review pertains to;
• Any submissions the person requesting the review wants considered; and
• An address (physical or electronic) where the person can be served with the Deputy Registrar’s decision.

A Deputy Registrar will then review the order and can revoke, confirm, or amend the inspector’s order.

Deputy Registrars must either issue their decision or provide notice that more time is needed within seven days of receiving the request. If a Deputy Registrar provides notice that more time is needed, they must stay (put on hold) the order while it is under review, and the Deputy Registrar must issue their decision within 90 days.

If a Deputy Registrar does not issue a decision or provide notice that more time is needed within seven days of receiving the request for review, the order will remain as originally issued.

Note: This FAQ is for general information only and should not be considered legal advice. Please review the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and associated regulations for details.

See the FAQ: ‘Can I appeal a Compliance Order issued to me?’ for information on appealing a compliance order.

Registrants who receive a Notice of Intention to issue an Administrative Penalty Order may request that the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar consider additional information before they decide to issue the order. A registrant may ask the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar to review:

• Additional information related to the contravention;
• Any information relevant to the determination of the penalty amount; or
• Any actions you have taken to remedy the contravention since it occurred.

The request must be made to the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar, in writing, within 21 days of the notice of intention being served on the registrant. All additional information and supporting documentation that the registrant would like the Registrar or Deputy Registrar to consider should be included in the request.

The Registrar or Deputy Registrar must then consider the information in the request and determine whether or not to issue an order. If the Registrar or Deputy Registrar decides not to issue the order, they must notify the registrant of this decision.

See RPRA’s Administrative Penalties Guideline for further information or the FAQ: ‘Can I appeal an Administrative Penalty Order issued to me?’ for information on appealing an administrative penalty order.

Note: This FAQ is for general information only and should not be considered legal advice. Please review the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and associated regulations for details.

Registrants may appeal an Administrative Penalty Order issued to them to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). The registrant must serve written notice of their intention to appeal to the OLT and to the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar within 15 days of being served the order. The order will be temporarily stayed (put on hold) until a decision is rendered by the tribunal. The notice must include:

• The parts of the order that the appeal pertains to; and
• The grounds on which the person appealing the order intends to rely at the hearing.

The OLT will hold a hearing, and the OLT may confirm, vary, or revoke the order. The OLT cannot vary the amount of the penalty unless it considers the amount to be unreasonable.

After a matter is decided by the OLT, the registrant or RPRA may appeal the OLT’s decision to the Divisional Court, but only on a question of law and with leave (permission) of the Divisional Court. If a party obtains leave, the appeal of the OLT decision will be heard by the Divisional Court. This process is governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure. The OLT’s decision is not automatically stayed by an appeal to the Divisional Court, but a stay may be granted by the OLT or the Court.

See RPRA’s Administrative Penalties Guideline for further information.

Note: This FAQ is for general information only and should not be considered legal advice. Please review the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and associated regulations for details.

If a Compliance Order is issued to a registrant by the Registrar or a Deputy Registrar, or if the registrant receives a decision from a Deputy Registrar issued as a result of a Request for Review of an inspector’s order, the registrant can appeal the order to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). The registrant must serve written notice of their intention to appeal to the Registrar or Deputy Registrar who made the order and to the OLT within 15 days of being served with the order. The notice must include:

• The parts of the order that the appeal pertains to; and
• The grounds on which the person appealing the order intends to rely at the hearing.

The OLT will hold a hearing. The OLT may decide to confirm, vary, or revoke the order.

After a matter is decided by the OLT, the registrant or RPRA may appeal the OLT’s decision to the Divisional Court, but only on a question of law and with leave (permission) of the Divisional Court. If a party obtains leave, the appeal of the OLT decision will be heard by the Divisional Court. This process is governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure. The OLT’s decision is not automatically stayed (put on hold) by an appeal to the Divisional Court, but a stay may be granted by the OLT or the Court.

Note: This FAQ is for general information only and should not be considered legal advice. Please review the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and associated regulations for details.

For the purposes of supply data reporting, ‘refillable packaging’ is defined as packaging surrounding a supplied product that a consumer can return to the product manufacturer for cleaning and reuse.

A producer who supplies its products in refillable packaging should only report weights (under the appropriate material category) the first time the packaging is supplied to consumers.

For example:

A milk producer that used 1000 new glass bottles to supply its product to consumers in 2022, reported the weight of all 1000 bottles under the beverage container category in their 2023 supply data report.

In 2023, the producer added 500 new glass bottles to its supply, bringing the total of supplied material to 1500 bottles. Their 2024 supply data report should only reflect the weights of the 500 new bottles, not the total currently being used by the producer (1500).

Important: Products supplied in beverage containers should be reported in the ‘beverage container’ category, not the category the container is made of (plastic, metal, glass).

See Compliance Bulletin: What blue box materials need to be reported?

If your First Nation is located south of the Far North and wants to join the Blue Box program, they first need to complete a registration form and submit it to [email protected].

Once this form is completed and submitted to RPRA, the administrator of the Blue Box common collection system, Circular Materials, will reach out to prepare an offer for collection services. After reviewing the offer, First Nation communities can indicate whether they accept it by informing RPRA.

There are two steps that need to be completed for a First Nation to receive service or funding:

• The PRO, Circular Materials, must submit the offer through the RPRA’s Registry for the First Nation to sign
• The First Nation must accept and sign the offer

Where a municipality distributes documents on behalf of another brand holder, the municipality is not obligated to report the paper in its supply. That obligation falls to the brand holder.

For example: A municipality may distribute documents issued by the provincial government (such as marriage licences and court documents) which are usually branded with the provincial agency or ministerial logos and names. In these cases, the provincial government would be the brand holder responsible for reporting these materials in their annual supply data report.

Please see FAQ “Who is a brand holder?” for more information.

Under the Blue Box Regulation which came into effect on July 1, 2023, eligible locations for collection within the producer-run program include:

• Private residences
• Public and private schools
• Elders’ lodges
• Not-for-profit retirement homes
• Not-for-profit long-term care facilities

Note: Commercial properties are not eligible for collection under the producer-run Blue Box program.

Under the Blue Box Regulation which came into effect on July 1, 2023, eligible locations for collection in a First Nation community include:

• Private residences
• Public and private schools
• Elders’ lodges (or retirement homes)
• Not-for-profit long-term care facilities

Locations that are not eligible for Blue Box collection or funding under this program include:

• Commercial properties
• Band owned and operated facilities such as daycares or community, wellness, cultural and language centres.
  • Note: Although costs of collection from these properties are not covered under the Blue Box system, First Nations can apply for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) funding to support these costs. Please speak to your region’s ISC officer for more information on how to apply.

The Blue Box Regulation states the requirement for Blue Box producers or PROs to deliver printed promotion and education materials in English and French to eligible sources by mail upon request, with requests limited to once per year.

An alternative collection system is one of three types of collection and management systems for Blue Box materials. Producers can choose to establish or participate in an alternative collection system to meet their collection, management, and promotion and education requirements under the Blue Box Regulation.

An alternative collection system can be established by one or more producers or PROs. The system must demonstrate that it can meet all system regulatory requirements as well as the minimum management requirements for participating producer(s). A producer can choose to meet their obligations using an alternative collection system instead of participating in the common collection system.

Types of alternative collection systems may vary and can include depot or return-by-mail systems. Alternative collection systems must service all eligible communities south of Ontario’s Far North.

For more information on alternative collection system registration criteria, please reach out to [email protected].

Also see: ‘What is the Blue Box common collection system?’, ‘What is a Blue Box supplemental collection system?’

The common collection system is the Blue Box material collection and management system established by PROs on behalf of producers. Blue Box materials that are picked up through curbside residential collection, for instance, are processed through the common collection system. The system came into effect on July 1, 2023, as outlined in the Blue Box Regulation. The common collection system services all eligible communities south of Ontario’s Far North.

It is one of three types of collection and management systems that producers can choose to use to meet their minimum management requirements. Producers who use the common collection system to meet their obligations will contract with a PRO that is participating in the common collection system.

Also see: ‘What is a Blue Box Alternative collection system?’, ‘What is a Blue Box supplemental collection system?’

A supplemental collection system is one of three types of collection and management systems that producers can choose to establish or participate in to contribute to their collection, management, and promotion and education requirements under the Blue Box Regulation.

Supplemental collection systems are not required to service all eligible communities south of Ontario’s Far North. Therefore, a producer participating in this type of system is still required to participate in the common collection system to meet their obligation to collect and manage Blue Box materials from all eligible communities, and to provide a promotion and education program.

One or more producers or PROs can establish a supplemental collection system. If a producer or PRO wishes to use a supplemental collection system’s collected materials towards producer minimum management requirements, that system should register with RPRA.

For more information on supplemental collection system registration criteria, please reach out to [email protected].

Also see: ‘What is the Blue Box common collection system?’, ‘What is a Blue Box alternative collection system?’

Yes, reusable bags made from Blue Box materials ( e.g. plastic, paper) and used as convenience packaging are obligated under the Blue Box Regulation and must be reported annually by producers in their supply report.

Convenience packaging refers to material that is provided with a product for consumers to handle or transport that product, in addition to the product’s primary packaging. This includes items such as bags and boxes that are supplied to consumers at check out.

For additional clarity:

• Reusable bags made primarily from plastic, paper, or any other Blue Box material, or a combination of these materials, are obligated. Reusable bags made from textile fibres such as cotton, hemp, bamboo, etc., are not obligated.
• Recycled content of the material has no impact on whether a reusable bag is obligated. For example, reusable bags containing post-consumer recycled plastic content are obligated.
• A reusable bag is obligated regardless of whether it is supplied to the consumer for free or at a cost. Examples include bags supplied at checkout to consumers at retail locations.

If you haven’t been reporting reusable bags as part of your annual supply data, please contact the Compliance Team immediately at [email protected].

Also see our FAQ: ‘What do I do if I misreported my supply data?’

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.

Under the producer responsibility framework, producers of Blue Box materials are responsible for ensuring that residences in eligible communities with curbside collection have a Blue Box receptacle. Examples of receptacles that must be provided to residents include bins, bags and carts.

The receptacle must be provided free of charge at least one week before producers begin collecting from the residence. Producers must deliver Blue Box receptacles to residents, or make them available for pickup if the resident prefers.

Blue Box receptacles must be appropriate for the residence, meaning they must meet the specific needs of the resident and must be equipped to follow local collection standards. For instance, some municipalities allow the use of carts whereas others use bags.

Elementary and secondary schools (both public and private) that are licensed under the Education Act to deliver elementary and secondary curriculums are eligible to receive recycling collection under the producer-run Blue Box program.

Schools in eligible communities with child-care programs physically present on the premises, including integrated early learning centres, on-site daycare centres, and early childhood education centres must be provided with Blue Box recycling collection.

To request a refund for a payment made by credit card and direct debit, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your registry account.
2. Select the Program.
3. Go to the Invoices & Payment tab.
4. Scroll to the Invoices with Credit Balances table.
5. Under Action click on Request Refund.
6. Click on the green button showing the refund amount.

To request a refund for a payment made by a saved payment method (credit card or direct debit), follow these steps:

1. Log in to your registry account.
2. Select the Program.
3. Go to the Invoices & Payment tab.
4. Scroll to the Invoices with Credit Balances table Under Action click on Request Refund
5. Check the box to Confirm your Attestation to the information.
6. Click on the green button showing the refund amount.

To request a refund for a payment made by EDI, cheque or electronic bill payment, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your registry account.
2. Select the Program.
3. Go to the Invoices & Payment tab.
4. Scroll to the Invoices with Credit Balances table Under Action click on Request Refund
5. Add your banking information as refunds will only be issued by EFT
6. Check the box to Confirm your Attestation to the information.
7. Click on the green button showing the refund amount.

Note: The Request Refund button is only available for invoices that have a negative balance.

If a registrant clicks the “Request Refund” button after a refund request has already been submitted, the registrant will see the following message: “A refund has already been requested for invoice 000XXXX on XX Date. We are currently processing your request.”

To pay multiple invoices at once, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your registry account.
2. Select the Program.
3. On the program screen click Pay Now in the Total Unpaid Invoices box, located at the top right corner.
4. Click the Pay Now button for saved payment methods or select Change Payment Method.
5. Choose the payment method, then click Next.
6. If the selected payment method is credit card or debit card, please enter your banking information or your credit card information, then click the Pay button.
7. If the selected payment method is EDI, electronic bill payment, or cheque, please follow the payment instructions on-screen.

To view invoices with a credit balance by program, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your registry account.
2. Select the applicable Program.
3. On the program screen go to the Invoices & Payment tab.
4. Click on Outstanding Invoices tab.
5. Scroll down to the Invoices with Credit Balances section to view invoices with credit balances.

Only account admins can designate an accounts payable (AP) user.

An accounts payable (AP) user is responsible for managing the financial aspects of a company’s registry account.

An AP user’s functionality includes:

• Accessing and paying invoices – View, download, and make payments for invoices.
• Managing saved payment methods – Add, update, or remove stored payment options.
• Modifying data across all programs – Modify program-related information as required for billing.
• Receiving billing and payment notifications – Receive email alerts about invoices, payments, and account balances.
• Communicating with RPRA regarding billing or payment questions – Act as the main contact for financial inquiries.

Yes, designating an AP User is required for account creation. This ensures financial responsibilities are clearly assigned.

Users must designate an accounts payable (AP) user during account set up.

To add an AP user during account set up, follow these steps:

1. After adding the Business information and address, click Next.
2. After entering the Account Admin information, scroll down.
3. Enter the Account Payables User information.
4. Check the box: ✅I hereby authorize this user to create/modify data. This confirms the AP User can modify data across all programs.
5. Click Next

If you want to assign the account admin as the AP user, check the box labeled:
The Account Admin listed above is the Accounts Payable (AP) User.

This will auto-fill the AP User section with the account admin’s information.

See FAQ: 7. What is an accounts payable (AP) user and what can they do in the registry?

Follow the steps below to add an AP user to an existing account:

1. Log in to the Registry account.
2. Go to the Manage Users
3. Click on the Set Account Payable User
4. Fill in the required details (e.g., name, contact info, etc.).
5. Complete the Programs & User Access Levels section
6. Check the box: ✅I hereby authorize this user to create/modify data. This confirms the AP user can modify data across all programs.
7. Click Save

Note: The new AP user will receive an email invitation to create their password and gain access to the Registry account.

See FAQ: What is the difference between an account admin, a primary, secondary, driver, accounts payable (AP), and manifest-only user in the HWP Registry?

See FAQ: What is the difference between an account admin, a primary, secondary and accounts payable (AP) user in the registry?

How to change an existing AP user:

1. Log in to the Registry account.
2. Navigate to the Manage Users
3. Click on the Change Accounts Payable User button.
4. To select an existing Registry user, type their name or email address in the search field
5. Check the box: ✅ I hereby authorize this user to create/modify data. This confirms the AP User can modify data across all programs.
6. Click
7. To add a new user, click on “Add New User”
8. Fill in the required details (e.g., name, contact info, etc.).
9. Complete the “Programs & User Access Levels” section.
10. Check the box: ✅✅ “I hereby authorize this user to create/modify data.” This confirms the AP user can modify data across all program.
11. Click Save

RPRA invoices are due on receipt.

RPRA charges a monthly 1.5% late payment fee on outstanding invoices. Late payment fees accrue monthly until the original invoice is paid in full.

If a late payment fee is applied, registrants will receive an email notification, and a late payment fee invoice will be issued to their Registry account.

Under the Blue Box Regulation, a building is a “facility” if it is one of the following:

• A multi-residential building with six (6) or more dwelling units
• A public or private school
• An Elders’ lodge
• A not-for-profit retirement home
• A not-for-profit long-term home

To be considered an “eligible facility” – a facility that is eligible to receive Blue Box collection services under the Blue Box Regulation – one of the following must apply:

a) The facility is located within a community* that has or will join the common collection system and was previously serviced under the legacy Blue Box program (e.g., received depot or curbside collection from the municipality, local service board or First Nation before it joined the common collection system). This facility is eligible to receive collection service on its host community’s transition date.

or

b) The facility was not previously serviced under the legacy Blue Box program but is planning to register for collection under the new Blue Box system. Facilities in this category will be eligible to receive Blue Box collection services under the producer run program starting January 1, 2031.

*A “community” refers to a municipality, local service board or First Nation

To better understand when your eligible facility is eligible for Blue Box collection, see the chart below:

If you have questions, please contact the Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected] or 1-833-600-0530 (toll-free).

Producers are now required to service eligible facilities that were not serviced by the legacy Blue Box program beginning in 2031.

The registration portal is closed until RPRA receives direction from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on the transitioning of these facilities.

In the interim, facilities that want to receive Blue Box collection must continue with private collection (or initiate collection with a private service provider, if they have not been serviced before).

If you have further questions, please contact the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Producers are legally required to offer collection services to eligible facilities starting in 2031. A facility that did not receive Blue Box collection services under the legacy program but would like to receive Blue Box collection services from 2026 to 2030 must contract directly with a private service provider for private collection.

Public and private schools (as defined under the Education Act) may be eligible to receive Blue Box collection service under the producer-run recycling system.

Schools that previously received service from their host community under the legacy Blue Box program will be automatically included in Blue Box collection from their host community and do not need to take any additional action.

Any school that was not previously serviced under the legacy Blue Box program may receive collection service beginning in 2031. These schools will have to register with RPRA. More information will be shared closer to this date.

Also see our FAQ: Is my facility eligible to receive Blue Box collection services?

Not-for profit long-term care homes, not-for-profit retirement homes and Elders’ lodges may be eligible to receive Blue Box collection service under the producer-run recycling system.

If these facilities previously received service from their host community under the legacy Blue Box program, they will be automatically included in Blue Box collection from their host community and do not need to take any additional action.

A not-for profit long-term care home, not-for-profit retirement home or Elders’ lodge that was not previously serviced under the legacy Blue Box program may receive collection service beginning in 2031. These facilities will have to register with RPRA. More information will be shared closer to this date.

Also see our FAQ: Is my facility eligible to receive Blue Box collection services?

If your mixed-used (commercial and residential) building is an eligible facility under the Blue Box Regulation, only the residential portion of the building will be eligible for collection services.

Also see our FAQ: Is my facility eligible to receive Blue Box collection services?

A producer responsibility organization (PRO) is a person retained by a producer to provide collection, management and administrative services to help producers meet their regulatory obligations.

A prospective PRO is a person that has registered with RPRA but have not been identified by a producer in RPRA’s registry to carry out regulatory responsibilities.

More information on PROs

PRO responsibilities include:

• Arranging for the establishment or operation of collection or management systems
• Establishing or operating a collection or management system
• Preparing and submitting reports

In addition, under the Hazardous and Special Products regulation, a PRO includes a person retained by a producer for the purpose of:

• Implementing a promotion and education program

Only PROs that meet this definition will:

• Be listed on RPRA’s website as a PRO
• Be invited to attend all-PRO meetings with RPRA
• Receive system-wide compliance communications

More information on prospective PRO

RPRA will list all prospective PROs on its website for up to one year. After that period, prospective PROs that remain unassigned by a producer in the registry will be notified, removed from the website, and have their registry account deactivated.

RPRA will publish a list of producers who have not yet identified a PRO in the registry. This will help prospective PROs understand where opportunities may exist.

As of January 1, 2026, the Blue Box Program has fully transitioned to producers of packaging, paper products and packaging-like products and municipalities are no longer responsible for operating or funding the residential Blue Box Program.

The transition of the Blue Box Program is part of the Ontario government’s circular economy initiative under which producers are required to be financially responsible and accountable for their products and packaging when consumers are finished using them.

Circular Materials is the organization responsible for operating the Blue Box collection system on behalf of producers.

For questions specific to your Blue Box collection service, please visit their website and type in your community’s name.

Local budgets are determined independently by local governments. Please contact your city council (or equivalent) for questions about local taxes and/or budgets.

Residential Blue Box collection, including the provision of new containers, is arranged by the Blue Box system administrator, Circular Materials. To learn who to contact for a new or replacement bin, visit their website and type in your community’s name.

Residents do not have to pay for new or replacement containers.

To request a Blue Box receptable that is aligned with your accessibility needs, complete the Special Accommodation Recycling Service Application form available on the Circular Materials website.

Also see our FAQ: ‘I have a physical disability that makes me unable to take my recycling container out to the curb. Is there assistance available for me?’

The requirement for Blue Box producers to provide collection service to eligible facilities – multi-residential buildings, schools, and specified long-term care homes and retirement homes – in eligible communities that did not receive service under the legacy Blue Box program has been delayed to 2031.

Facilities in communities that did not receive Blue Box collection under the legacy program that want to receive collection between 2026 and 2030 must continue with private collection, or initiate collection with a private service provider if they have not been serviced before.

RPRA will open its facilities registry well in advance of the 2031 start date to allow eligible facility owners and operators to register. Stakeholders can subscribe to RPRA’s mailing list to receive updates.

Under the producer-run system, residences are eligible for Blue Box collection. Residences are buildings with five or less residential units. Building developments with five or less units are considered residences and will also receive service from the producer-run system.

Townhouses, stacked townhouses or row houses with six or more units may also be considered residences if one of the following applies:

• each unit receives curbside garbage collection, or
• the building uses a common collection point where residents drop off their waste and from which the local government collects garbage.

Townhouses, stacked townhouses or row houses with six or more units that do not meet the criteria above are not eligible to receive Blue Box collection from the producer-run program until 2031, as these types of buildings are considered facilities. To learn more see our FAQ: “Is my facility eligible to receive Blue Box collection services?”

Residential Blue Box collection is arranged by the Blue Box system administrator, Circular Materials. For information specific to your Blue Box collection service, visit Circular Materials’ website and type in your community’s name.

Yes, residents of multi-residential building who used their community depot to drop off Blue Box material because their facility did not have private Blue Box collection can still rely on the existing community depot to drop off Blue Box material.

Community depots operated by producers must be free of charge.

No. Under the residential Blue Box program, industrial, commercial and institutional locations (IC&I) are considered ineligible sources. This means that Blue Box producers are not obligated to provide collection services to IC&I locations.

Under the legacy Blue Box program, a community may have offered recycling services, free of charge to IC&I locations. Examples include but are not limited to libraries, community centres, restaurants, daycares, places of worship, hospitals, businesses, shopping malls, retail stores among others. Some communities may choose to continue offering these services to IC&I locations.

Ontario Recycles was created in 2026 to keep the public informed about the circular economy and recycling in Ontario.

Ontario Recycles provides an overview of the province’s recycling programs that RPRA oversees for batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting, tires, and Blue Box materials, including where to recycle these materials using RPRA’s Where to Recycle map.

Information for consumers on Ontario’s Blue Box program can be found on Ontario Recycles.

Ontario Recycles was created by RPRA in 2026 to keep the public informed about the circular economy and recycling in Ontario.

The InKind Advertising Program was established to allow members of the Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) to contribute newspaper linage to municipalities in lieu of cash funding to satisfy their steward obligations under the Waste Diversion Act, 2002 (later replaced by the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016). The program was approved by the Minister of the Environment in November 2005 through an amendment to the Blue Box Program Plan.

The amount of advertising linage that was required to be contributed by CNA/OCNA stewards each year was determined by their financial obligation under the Blue Box Program Plan. Municipalities received their allocation of linage based on the value of each municipality’s cash funding in the program year.

In accordance with the Blue Box Program Plan, the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) was responsible for the administration and allocation of funding through the InKind program.

Eligible facilities that were not serviced under the legacy Blue Box program can begin receiving Blue Box collection services through the producer-run program on the later of the following dates:

• January 1, 2031
• The date the facility officially registers under section 63 of the Blue Box Regulation

For details on specific types of locations, see our FAQ: “What is an eligible facility under the Blue Box Regulation?”

No, residents do not have to pay for the replacement of a broken or damaged recycling container. This includes the removal of broken or damaged containers, and the delivery of a replacement bin, if required.

Residential Blue Box collection, including the provision of new bins, is arranged by the Blue Box system administrator, Circular Materials. To learn who to contact for a new or replacement bin, visit their website and type in your community’s name.

If you are experiencing a temporary or permanent physical disability that prevents you from setting out your recycling bin or cart, you may qualify for assisted collection service.

To apply for assistance, complete the Special Accommodation Recycling Service Application on Circular Materials’ website.

Also see our FAQ: ‘I am a resident with a physical disability and the Blue Box receptacle is not appropriate for my needs. How do I request a receptacle aligned with my accessibility needs?’

RPRA’s Compliance and Enforcement Team is undertaking a risk-based review of 2026 Blue Box supply data submitted by producers. The following risk factors were considered when selecting producers for inspection:

• Producers filing deductions: Supply report submissions containing material deductions, where larger deduction volumes or multiple submissions increase regulatory risk.
• Producers claiming compostable exemptions: Supply report submissions claiming exemptions for compostable materials, particularly those involving large volumes or multiple filings.
• Significant year-over-year variance: Producers displaying substantial unexplained changes in reported supply tonnage compared to previous years.
• High-volume producers: Market participants representing significant overall quantities of system tonnage.
• Inconsistent registration history: Producers who have not registered consistently every reporting year.

This inspection process prioritizes data validation and evaluation of historical submissions. The process is meant to enhance reporting accuracy and, where required, enforce regulatory requirements to help ensure that all Blue Box producers are held to a consistently high standard of compliance.

For more information, see our FAQ: What is the process for the 2026 Blue Box supply data inspection campaign?

RPRA’s Audit and Risk Team uses a three-stage risk-based framework to verify reporting accuracy, address data gaps, and enforce regulatory compliance.

Whether or not a producer is required to go through all three stages will depend on the outcomes at each stage. Findings from the initial risk assessment will determine whether producers undergo a verification review; the results of the verification review will determine whether producers are subject to an audit.

Details about each stage are outlined below:

1. Risk assessment
   • Selected producers will be asked to complete and submit a Blue Box Supply Assessment Form by a set deadline. Failure to complete the form by the deadline will trigger escalating compliance enforcement actions.
   • If no further risks or data gaps are identified, additional outreach may not be required.
2. Verification review
   • RPRA will commence a formal verification review if a producer’s data requires deeper verification.
   • An assigned Audit and Risk Officer (ARO) will manage the case and work directly with the producer.
   • Producers must supply AROs with all requested documentation, methodology details, and records necessary to validate reported supply data.
3. Audit
   • Verification inspections that uncover multiple high-risk issues or unresolved inconsistencies will be escalated to a formal audit.
   • Producers will receive a formal audit notification letter alongside a list of required records.
   • Audits will include on-site visits by AROs to outline the scope of the audit work, review internal procedures, test source records, and evaluate end-to-end reporting controls.
   • Following the audit, RPRA will issue recommendations and conduct follow-up reviews to verify that requested corrective actions to internal processes and reporting adjustments have been completed.
   • Producers are reminded that failure to submit the required information at any stage in the inspection process may lead to enforcement action.

For more information, see our FAQ: Why was I was selected for a verification inspection of my 2026 to be part of the Blue Box Inspection Campaign supply data?

Being selected as a subject of an inspection does not automatically mean a producer is out of compliance. While selection relies on RPRA’s risk-based framework, the first step of the process is an initial assessment, not a formal inspection or audit.

However, subsequent verification and audit activities may be undertaken by RPRA to determine whether enforcement action will be taken.