In the Blue Box Regulation, an eligible community is a local municipality or local services board area that is not located in the Far North, or a reserve that is registered by a First Nation with the Authority and not located in the Far North.
For municipalities that currently provide blue box services, producers are responsible for delivering these services starting July 1, 2023 through to December 31, 2025. The specific transition date for each municipality is outlined in the Transition Schedule.
For municipalities that do not currently have a blue box program, producers are responsible for providing collection for eligible communities as of January 1, 2026.
What do municipalities need to report?
Municipalities are required to submit an Initial Report with information about their current blue box collection systems to the Authority. The deadline for all municipalities to submit their Initial Report was September 30, 2021. Municipalities must complete the reporting form below and email it as an attachment to registry@rpra.ca as soon as possible.
Municipalities must also submit a Transition Report with further information about their current blue box collection systems to the Authority ahead of their transition date. This information will be submitted at different times, depending on the year in which a municipality transitions to the new framework:
- September 30, 2021, if the municipality or local services board area is transitioning in 2023
- August 31, 2022, if the municipality or local services board area is transitioning in 2024
- August 31, 2023, if the municipality or local services board area is transitioning in 2025
Municipalities must complete the reporting form below and email it as an attachment to registry@rpra.ca.
For detailed guidance on completing the Initial and Transition Reports, see our Municipal and First Nation Reporting Guide.
On September 8, we held a webinar to walk through the reporting process and answer your questions. Review the presentation materials.
Click on the headings below for more information on reporting requirements.
Am I also obligated as a Blue Box producer?
Many municipalities may also be obligated as Blue Box producers if they supply Blue Box materials to consumers in Ontario. See the Blue Box producer webpage for information on regulatory requirements for producers and obligated Blue Box materials.
When considering whether or not they are a Blue Box producer, municipalities should also consider the producer exemptions in the regulation. Under the Blue Box Regulation, there are two kinds of exemptions that apply to producers: one based on a producer’s gross annual revenue and one based on the weight of Blue Box materials supplied into Ontario.
Revenue-based
A small producer whose gross annual revenue from products and services in Ontario is less than $2 million is exempt from registration, reporting, collection, management and promotion and education requirements under the regulation. For guidance on what revenues to consider, municipalities should see the FAQ: “What revenue should municipalities consider when determining whether or not they are an exempt producer?”. A small producer who meets this revenue-based exemption is only required to maintain records that demonstrate its gross annual Ontario revenue is less than $2 million and provide those records to the Authority upon request.
Supply-based
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 is above the revenue-based exemption and their supply weight in all material categories is less than the tonnage exemption threshold, producers are only required to register and report. If a producer is above the revenue-based exemption, and supply weight in at least one material category is above the tonnage exemption threshold, producers are required to meet all obligations (registration, reporting, collection, management, and promotion and education). However, producers are only required to meet their management requirement in material categories where they are above the exemption level.
| Blue Box material category | Supply-based exemption level (in kgs) |
|---|---|
| Paper | 9,000 |
| Rigid plastic | 2,000 |
| Flexible plastic | 2,000 |
| Glass | 1,000 |
| Metal | 1,000 |
| Beverage containers | 1,000 |
Any municipality who is above the revenue-based exemption level but below the supply-based exemption levels is required to register as a producer and report their supply data to the Authority. The Authority undertakes a risk-based approach to compliance, as set out in its Risk-Based Compliance Framework. Registration and reporting by municipal producers that are under the supply thresholds in the above table and therefore exempt from performance requirements is not a high compliance priority for the Authority in 2021.
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.