Posted on May 10, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
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.
Posted on April 21, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
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?
Posted on April 13, 2023 by Michelle Hoover -
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 deduction is not available for beverage containers.
This does not reduce the obligation of a producer to provide complete and accurate supply data or limit the ability of an Authority inspector to review the data and related records for the purpose of determining compliance.
Posted on March 23, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
Producers with a collection requirement under 1000 kg are exempt from registering and reporting to RPRA in that calendar year. Producers who meet this exemption are, however, required to retain records for five years.
To view your collection requirement, log into your Registry account, download a copy of your 2022 Tires Report and review the section with your minimum collection requirements for 2023.
Producers with a 2023 collection requirement under 1000 kg should contact our Compliance and Registry Team at 833-600-0530 or registry@rpra.ca to determine if their registration should be deactivated.
To calculate your collection requirement for a given year, use the formula below:
(Y3 + Y4 +Y5) / 3 x 0.85
Y3 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year three years prior to the collection year
Y4 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year four years prior to the collection year
Y5 – the weight of tires supplied in the calendar year five years prior to the collection year
For example, to calculate your 2024 collection requirement, you would input your 2021 (Y3), 2020 (Y4) and 2019 (Y5) supply data.
Posted on March 10, 2023 by Jess Turchet -
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.
Posted on March 3, 2023 by Davina Gounden -
Producers of batteries need to provide the following information when registering in RPRA’s Registry:
- Business information (e.g. business name, contact information)
- The year you began marketing or selling batteries into Ontario
- Any PROs you are contracted with
- Your annual Supply Report
Posted on March 3, 2023 by Davina Gounden -
A Verifier can be an individual, either an employee of the business or a hired third-party (including a PRO), who has one of the following designations and is not the same person who prepared the supply report:
- CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) in Canada or CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in the US
- ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accounts) Qualification
- CIA (Certified Internal Auditor)
- CPB (Certified Professional Bookkeeper) in Canada
- RPA (Registered Professional Accountant) in Canada
Posted on March 3, 2023 by Davina Gounden -
Producers of ITT/AV equipment need to provide the following information when registering in RPRA’s Registry:
- Business information (e.g. business name, contact information)
- The year you began marketing or selling ITT/AV equipment into Ontario
- Any PROs you are contracted with
- Your annual ITT/AV Supply Report
Posted on March 2, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
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.
Posted on February 28, 2023 by Davina Gounden -
For the purposes of ITT/AV supply reporting verification:
- “Large ITT/AV producer” means an ITT/AV producer with a minimum management requirement greater than or equal to 200,000 kilograms in the previous calendar year.
To view your management requirements, log into your Registry account, download a copy of your previous year’s Supply Report and review the section with your minimum management requirements for your reporting year.
Beginning in 2023, only large producers are required to submit a Supply Data Verification Report. Small producers will no longer be required to submit a verification report but will be subject to inspections. Review the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit for more information.
Posted on February 28, 2023 by Davina Gounden -
For the purposes of battery supply reporting verification:
- “Large single-use battery producer” means a battery producer with a minimum management requirement greater than or equal to 50,000 kilograms of single-use batteries in the previous calendar year.
- “Large rechargeable battery producer” means a battery producer with a minimum management requirement greater than or equal to 5,000 kilograms of rechargeable batteries in the previous calendar year.
To view your management requirements, log into your Registry account, download a copy of your previous year’s Supply Report and review the section with your minimum management requirements for your reporting year.
Beginning in 2023, only large producers are required to submit a Supply Data Verification Report. Small producers will no longer be required to submit a verification report but will be subject to inspections. Review the Registry Procedure – Verification and Audit for more information.
Posted on February 15, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
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?”
Posted on February 10, 2023 by Monica Ahmed -
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 registry@rpra.ca 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?
