Blue Box Program Wind-Up Plan

Between September 30 and November 10, 2020, the Authority consulted on Stewardship Ontario’s (SO) proposed plan to wind up the Blue Box Program and transition it to the new extended producer responsibility framework.

On December 16, 2020, the Authority approved SO’s Blue Box Program Transition and Stewardship Ontario Wind-Up Plan with conditions, as well as the Continuous Improvement Fund’s (CIF) wind-up plan and changes to its governance structure, which was included, by reference, in SO’s wind-up plan. Learn more:

• Approval of SO’s wind-up plan with conditions
• Approval of the CIF’s wind-up plan
• Consultation report 

In approving the plans, the Authority assessed whether the proposed plans were compliant with requirements in the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 (WDTA) and the Minister’s directions and consistent with the Authority’s Wind-Up Guide.

Background

On August 15, 2019, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued direction to SO and RPRA to wind up the Blue Box Program and transition it to Ontario’s new individual producer responsibility framework starting on January 1, 2023 through to December 31, 2025. Learn more about the transition.

SO submitted its proposed plan to the Authority by the August 31, 2020 deadline set by the Minister. As outlined in the Minister’s direction, the Authority was expected to review, consult on and approve the plan no later than December 31, 2020.

Consultation process

The Authority hosted several webinars, smaller online group discussions and 1:1 meetings (upon request) to present key elements of the plan, answer questions and gain feedback from stakeholders. The sessions were open to all Blue Box Program participants, municipalities, First Nation communities, the public and other interested stakeholders.

The Authority has compiled questions received during all sessions and our responses into a Q&A document. Review the Q&As.

The Authority considered all comments received during the consultation while reviewing and approving the wind-up plan. Read the consultation report.

Consultation webinars

We hosted five webinars over the course of a week, each focused on a key element of the wind-up plan and process – see session descriptions below. The webinars consisted of a presentation based on the topic area and time for questions and comments throughout.

Smaller group discussions

We hosted four group discussions via video conference call following the consultation webinars. These sessions were an opportunity to engage in a more open discussion about the proposed wind-up plan with a smaller, stakeholder-specific group, facilitated by RPRA staff and guided by key questions.

Update: In response to comments received during the webinars, we adapted the NGO and general public group discussion on Friday, October 23 to a multi-stakeholder session to encourage meaningful discussion across stakeholder groups.