New regulations in effect for Ontario blue box producers

As of July 1, 2023, collection, management, and promotion and education requirements under the Blue Box Regulation are in effect for producers.

This includes setting up an Ontario-wide collection and management system for their products and packaging once consumers discard them.

The shift to the producer-run Blue Box system is taking a phased approach, with municipalities and First Nation communities across Ontario transitioning their existing Blue Box programs to the new system starting July 1, 2023, through to December 31, 2025.

As of July 1, 2023, producers must:

• Establish systems for the collection of Blue Box materials across Ontario.
• Ensure that all Blue Box materials collected through those systems are processed into recovered resources.
• Launch a promotion and education program that informs consumers about the collection of Blue Box materials, including what materials are accepted and how they should be prepared for collection.

Most producers will contract the services of a business, also known as a producer responsibility organization (PRO), to meet their collection, management, and promotion and education requirements.

Some producers do not have collection, management, or promotion and education obligations based on what they supply into the Ontario market.

Meeting producer collection requirements

On behalf of producers, PROs have established a common collection system that will provide curbside and depot Blue Box service to every household in participating communities in Ontario.

To ensure they meet their collection obligations, producers must either sign up with a PRO to join the common collection system or establish an independent collection system that is operational as of July 1, 2023.