From June 18 to August 3, 2021, the Authority consulted on its proposed 2021 Registry fees for Blue Box materials and Hazardous and Special Products (HSP). These are fees that registrants pay to the Authority annually to cover the Authority’s costs related to building and operating the Registry, and compliance and enforcement activities.
We hosted two webinars to explain the methodology used to calculate the proposed fees and gain feedback from registrants and other interested stakeholders. Stakeholders also submitted their feedback by email. The Authority considered all feedback received during the consultation as it finalized the 2021 fees for Blue Box and HSP. Read the Consultation Report.
The fees were approved on August 19, 2021. View the 2021 Registry Fee Schedule for Blue Box and HSP.
The final fees for Blue Box did not change from what was proposed in the consultation. However, the threshold for flat fee eligibility within the Blue Box fee structure was lowered from 100,000 kg to 50,000 kg to close the gap between the flat $75 fee and the variable per kilogram fee assigned to producers whose supply is close to but exceeds the threshold.
The final fees for HSP Categories A and B (non-refillable pressurized containers, oil filters; antifreeze, oil containers, paints and coatings, pesticides, solvents, refillable pressurized containers excluding propane) also did not change from what was proposed during consultation.
The fees for HSP Categories C (mercury-containing barometers, thermometers, thermostats), E (refillable propane containers) and D (fertilizers) did change to reflect stakeholder feedback and new information received during the consultation period about the estimated number of producers:
- The flat fee for Category D producers decreased from $4,000 to $1,000
- The flat fee for Category E producers decreased from $7,500 to $1,000
- A $75 flat fee has been assigned to Category C, D and E producers with an annual revenue of less than $2 M
The Authority will further consider the feedback received during the consultation when it reviews its cost allocation and fee setting methodology in Q3/Q4 2021, in advance of setting 2022 fees. Feedback from past fee consultations, as well as cost allocation and fee-setting models adopted by different jurisdictions and regulators, will also be considered during the review.
Background
In June 2021, the government released the final Blue Box and HSP regulations. The current Blue Box Program operated by Stewardship Ontario on behalf of stewards will transition to the new producer responsibility framework between July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. The current Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) Program operated by Stewardship Ontario will wind up September 30, 2021 and transition to the new regulatory framework for resource recovery on October 1, 2021. Producers obligated under the new Blue Box and HSP regulations will be required to register, report and pay Registry fees to the Authority in 2021. Visit our Blue Box and HSP webpages for more information on the new regulations.
This proposal outlines the proposed 2021 Registry fees for Blue Box and HSP, as well as the methodology for allocating costs across all programs.
2021 Registry fees for tires and batteries and electronics
From March 30 to May 14, 2021, the Authority consulted on the 2021 Registry fees for tires and batteries and electronics. The Authority posted the final fees to its website on May 25, 2021 and notified stakeholders the same day. Any difference between revenues generated through the 2021 Registry fees for tires and batteries and electronics and the allocated program budgets outlined during this consultation will be reconciled when setting 2022 fees.