Blue Box

First Nation Communities

First Nations communities can register to participate in the Blue Box Program at any time.

To do so, please submit a copy of your community’s Registration Form to registry@rpra.ca.

Download a blank copy of the Registration Form from our Registry Resources page. 

Questions about the Blue Box Program?

We have answers! Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.

In the Blue Box Regulation, an eligible community is a reserve that is:

  • registered by a First Nation with RPRA and not located in the Far North, or
  • a local municipality or local services board area that is not located in the Far North.

All First Nation communities that wish to receive producer-run Blue Box services on their reserve(s) must register with RPRA. This applies to communities that currently provide Blue Box services, either under Stewardship Ontario’s Blue Box Program Plan or outside of the Blue Box Program Plan, and those that do not currently have a program.

First Nation communities that are currently operating a Blue Box collection program are eligible to begin receiving producer-run collection services starting on the date set in the Transition Schedule. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) will continue to engage with First Nation communities operating Blue Box programs to determine transition dates and add them to the Transition Schedule if possible.

On December 15, 2022, the ministry updated the Transition Schedule to include some First Nations communities and their reserve(s). RPRA will contact those communities directly to provide more information about the program and assist with reporting.

For First Nation communities that do not currently have a Blue Box program but register to receive producer-run collection services, producer responsibility organizations (PROs) are required to begin providing collection services on January 1, 2026. PROs are the companies that will operate the Blue Box collection system on behalf of producers. Learn more about PROs.

How to register with RPRA

First Nation communities interested in receiving producer-run Blue Box services must register with RPRA. To register, communities must complete the registration form below and email it as an attachment to registry@rpra.ca.

Additionally, the ministry will be engaging with First Nation communities to confirm their preferred transition dates and add them to the Transition Schedule as they register.

Offer process

Once a First Nation registers to participate in the producer-run Blue Box program and is added to the Transition Schedule, the PROs are obligated to provide an offer of collection services.

While First Nations and PROs are expected to communicate directly when determining the contents of offers, the submission, acceptance, rejection and/or revocation of an offer must be communicated through RPRA.

The timelines for the offer process will vary depending on the transition date of the First Nation and when the community’s data is supplied. Individual deadlines will be communicated directly to each First Nation’s representative and the PROs by RPRA staff.

What do First Nation communities need to report?

First Nation communities that have registered with RPRA are required to submit an Initial Report with information about their current Blue Box collection systems to RPRA.

First Nation communities must also submit a Transition Report with further information about their current Blue Box collection systems to RPRA ahead of their transition date.

Click on the headings below for more information on reporting requirements.

First Nation communities are required to submit the following information as part of the Initial Report:

  1. The number of residents and residences in the eligible community.
  2. The municipality, local services board, First Nation or other entity that provides the WDTA Blue Box Program and garbage collection in the eligible community.
  3. The contact information of the person responsible for waste management in the eligible community.
  4. The number of residences that received collection services pursuant to the WDTA Blue Box Program in the eligible community.
  5. The criteria or conditions used to determine which facilities were included in the WDTA Blue Box Program as of August 15, 2019.
  6. The number of facilities in the eligible community that received collection services pursuant to the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  7. The number of Blue Box receptacles in a public space in the eligible community that receive collection under the WDTA Blue Box Program.

The requirements for the Initial Report are set out in Section 54 of the regulation.

Please contact registry@rpra.ca for more information regarding the Initial Report.

First Nation communities are required to submit the following information as part of the Transition Report:

  1. The location of residences that receive curbside garbage collection in the eligible community.
  2. The location of residences that receive depot garbage collection in the eligible community.
  3. The location of every garbage depot collection site in the eligible community.
  4. The location of residences that receive curbside collection under the WDTA Blue Box Program in the eligible community.
  5. The location of residences that receive depot collection under the WDTA Blue Box Program in the eligible community.
  6. The location of facilities in the eligible community that receive collection services pursuant to the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  7. A description of a method pursuant to which additional information about the addresses of residences and facilities in the eligible community that receive collection under its garbage collection program and the WDTA Blue Box Program can be provided.
  8. The location of each Blue Box receptacle in a public space in the eligible community that received collection under the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  9. A list of materials that are collected under the WDTA Blue Box Program in the eligible community.
  10. The frequency at which residences in the eligible community receive collection under the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  11. The number of collection streams in the eligible community under the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  12. The location of every depot collection site in the eligible community under the WDTA Blue Box Program.
  13. The languages used for communications about the WDTA Blue Box Program in the eligible community.

The requirements for the Initial Report are set out in Section 55 of the regulation.

Please contact registry@rpra.ca for more information regarding the Transition Report.

First Nations are not required to submit Change Reports to update information provided in their Initial or Transition Reports. Any changes should be addressed with Circular Materials in their role as the Administrator of the common collection system. Contact operations@circularmaterials.ca for more information.

Information on Stewardship Ontario’s Blue Box Program

Stewardship Ontario will continue to operate the Blue Box Program on behalf of stewards until December 31, 2025, once all municipalities and First Nation communities have transitioned their programs to the new framework. Visit Stewardship Ontario’s website for more information on the transition of the current program, and direct any operational inquiries to: werecycle@stewardshipontario.ca.

For further information about the current program operated by Stewardship Ontario, including the Blue Box Program Plan and other program documents, the Blue Box Steward Funding Obligation, the Municipal Funding Allocation Model (MFAM), the InKind Advertising Program and Datacall, visit our Blue Box Program page.