Topic: Promotion and Education

Are Blue Box producers (or PROs on their behalf) required to provide printed promotion and education materials about Blue Box by mail to each eligible source (e.g., each Ontario household) at least once per year as of January 1, 2026?

Posted on November 15, 2024 by -

While the Blue Box Regulation states the requirement for Blue Box producers or PROs to deliver printed promotion and education materials to eligible sources by mail at least once a year, many Ontario municipalities have stopped providing printed promotion and education materials to their residents in favour of electronic formats.

As long as Blue Box producers or Blue Box PROs continue to provide the same format of promotion and education materials as the Ontario municipality provided prior to the date the municipality transitioned under the Blue Box Regulation (i.e., print or electronic or both), RPRA will consider this as having satisfied the requirement in section 72(1) paragraph 2.

As an HSP producer, what are my requirements under the HSP regulation?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by -

As an obligated HSP producer, you are required to:

  • register and report annual supply and performance data of obligated materials
  • meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for collection and management
  • meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for promotion and education
  • meet mandatory and enforceable requirements for auditing, verification, and record keeping

These requirements vary based on material type and amount of material the producer supplies.

As an HSP producer of mercury-containing barometers, thermometers or thermostats, what are my promotion and education requirements?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by -

Beginning October 1, 2021, producers or PROs acting on their behalf, of mercury-containing devices are required to establish and operate a promotion and education program that:

  • Promotes their collection and management services with respect to the type of HSP they are obligated for
  • Provides the following information on a website with respect to that type of HSP:
    • the presence of mercury in that type of HSP
    • how to distinguish that type of HSP from similar products that do not contain mercury
    • the hazards to human health and the environment related to mercury
    • how consumers can properly dispose of that type of HSP
    • a description of the collection services provided by the producer under this Regulation for that type of HSP
    • a description of how the producer manages that type of HSP after it is collected under this Regulation
  • Creates promotional and educational materials with respect to that type of HSP that include the following:
    • the address of the website
    • a description of how that type of HSP is collected and managed
  • The producer shall make the promotional and educational materials available to retailers that supply that type of HSP or similar products that do not contain mercury, municipal governments, and Indigenous communities, and shall solicit and consider feedback from those retailers, municipal governments and Indigenous communities on how the promotional and educational materials can be improved

As an HSP producer of fertilizers, what are my promotion and education requirements?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by -

Beginning October 1, 2021, producers are obligated to:

  • establish and operate a promotion and education program starting in 2022
  • provide information on their website about how consumers can use, share and properly dispose of fertilizer with local requirements
  • create promotional and education materials that include:
    • The website URL
    • A description of how consumers can use, share and properly dispose of fertilizer
  • solicit, consider feedback from, and make the promotional and education materials available to:
    • Indigenous communities
    • Municipal governments
    • Retailers that supply fertilizers
  • provide information to municipalities on innovative end-use options for fertilizers as an alternative to disposal

As an HSP producer of oil containers, antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, paints or coatings, what are my promotion and education requirements?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by -

Beginning October 1, 2021, producers, or PROs acting on their behalf, of oil containers, antifreeze, pesticides, solvents, paints and coatings are required to establish and operate a promotion and education program including the following:

  • Promote their collection and management services with respect to the type of HSP they are obligated for
  • Provide the following information on a website with respect to that type of HSP:
    • the location of each HSP collection site established or operated by the producer that is accessible to the public and the types of HSP accepted at each site
    • the location and date of each HSP collection event held by the producer and the types of HSP accepted at each event
    • a description of the collection services provided by the producer, other than HSP collection sites and HSP collection events
    • a description of how the producer manages that type of HSP after it is collected
  • Create promotional and educational materials with respect to that type of HSP that include the following:
    • the address of the website
    • a description of how that type of HSP is collected and managed
  • The producer shall make the promotional and educational materials available to retailers that supply that type of HSP, municipal governments and Indigenous communities, and shall solicit and consider feedback on how the promotional and educational materials can be improved
  • The producer shall promote each HSP collection event for that type of HSP in the local municipality or territorial district where it will be held for at least one week prior to the date of the event using a combination of two or more forms of media, including but not limited to:
    • local print publications
    • local print media
    • local radio
    • local signage or social media

As an HSP producer of oil filters or non-refillable pressurized containers, what are my promotion and education requirements?

Posted on October 19, 2021 by -

Beginning October 1, 2021, producers of oil filters and non-refillable pressurized containers, or PROs acting on their behalf, are required to establish and operate a promotion and education program including the following:

  • promote their collection and management services with respect to the type of HSP they are obligated for
  • provide the following information on a website with respect to that type of HSP:
    • the location of each HSP collection site established or operated by the producer that is accessible to the public and the types of HSP accepted at each site
    • the location and date of each HSP collection event held by the producer and the types of HSP accepted at each event
    • a description of the collection services provided by the producer, other than HSP collection sites and HSP collection events
    • a description of how the producer manages that type of HSP after it is collected
    • create promotional and educational materials with respect to that type of HSP that include the following:
      • the website URL
      • a description of how that type of HSP is collected and managed
    • the producer shall make the promotional and educational materials available to retailers that supply that type of HSP, municipal governments and Indigenous communities, and shall solicit and consider feedback on how the promotional and educational materials can be improved
    • the producer shall promote each HSP collection event for that type of HSP in the local municipality or territorial district where it will be held for at least one week prior to the date of the event using a combination of two or more forms of media, including but not limited to:
      • local print publications
      • local print media
      • local radio
      • local signage or social media

What producer exemptions are under the HSP Regulation?

Posted on September 15, 2021 by -

If a producer is exempt in accordance with the chart below, the producer is exempt from the following requirements:

  1. Registration with RPRA
  2. Requirements related to setting up or operating a collection system
  3. Management requirements
  4. Promotion and education requirements

Producer categories use the average weight of material (in tonnes) supplied in Ontario in the three previous calendar years. If you have questions on how to calculate your average weight of supply, contact the Registry Support Team at registry@rpra.ca.

I am a retailer. What does the Tires Regulation mean for me?

Posted on July 16, 2020 by -

As a retailer, you may also be a producer and/or a collector, based on the definitions in the Tires Regulation.

Businesses will continue to have discretion over whether they charge a fee to recover the cost of recycling their products. If a business chooses to charge a fee, they are no longer required to provide information about who is charging the visible fee and what it will be used for.