On June 3,the final Blue Box Regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act was issued. The regulation designates blue box materials such as products and packaging, including packaging-like and paper products, under Ontario’s new regulatory framework for resource recovery. The regulation makes producers (“stewards”) fully accountable and financially responsible for their products and packaging once they reach their end of life and are disposed; sets mandatory and enforceable requirements for blue box collection systems; and gives producers choices for resource recovery services in a competitive market.
As of July 1, 2023, when municipalities and First Nation communities start transitioning their blue box programs to the new framework, blue box producers will become 100% accountable and financially responsible for collecting and recycling their blue box materials when consumers discard them.
The enhanced Blue Box program is intended to make recycling easier for Ontarians by:
- Expanding collection to all communities outside the Far North by 2026;
- Standardizing what can be recycled across Ontario;
- Accepting common single-use and packaging-like products such as paper and plastic cups, foils, trays, bags and boxes sold for home use;
- Collecting single-use items that are distributed or sold to consume food and beverage products, like stir sticks, straws, cutlery and plates;
- Expanding services to more facilities such as apartment buildings, municipally run or non-profit long-term care homes and retirement homes, and schools.
The changes to the program will also transition the costs of the Blue Box program away from municipal taxpayers by making the producers of products and packaging fully responsible for managing the life-cycle of their products, resulting in an estimated savings of $156 million annually for municipalities.
Stewardship Ontario is currently reviewing the Regulation to determine what changes may be required to the Blue Box Transition Plan approved by the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA). Further information about the Blue Box Regulation and the program transition is available on the RPRA website.
