Communications & updates
- August 12, 2019 – Advisor report outlines transition to full producer responsibility for Ontario’s Blue Box Program
- August 15, 2019 – Stewardship Ontario receives Minister’s direction letter to begin Blue Box transition
- November 19, 2019 – MECP hosting webinar on development of new Blue Box regulation
- March 3, 2020 – Register for Blue Box Program Windup Plan consultation webinars
- April 4, 2020 – Postponed: Blue Box Program Transition Plan consultation webinars
- April 9, 2020 – Minister grants extension for submitting Blue Box Program Transition Plan to RPRA
Ministerial letters
- August 15, 2019: Minister’s direction letter to Stewardship Ontario
- August 15, 2019: Minister’s direction letter to RPRA
- April 3, 2020: Minister’s direction letter to Stewardship Ontario granting transition plan submission request due to COVID-19
Key dates
- TBC: Rescheduled consultation webinars.
- July 8, 2020: Stakeholder feedback deadline on transition plan proposals.
- August 31, 2020: Blue Box Program Transition Plan due to RPRA.
- December 31, 2020: Anticipated date RPRA will approve Stewardship Ontario’s Blue Box Transition Plan.
Background information
The transition of the Blue Box Program to full producer responsibility was initiated by a direction letter from the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) in August, 2019, to make industry responsible for both the funding and operation of residential recycling in the province.
The Minister’s letter directs Stewardship Ontario to submit a Blue Box Program Transition Plan to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) by June 30, 2020. It is expected that RPRA will approve the plan by December 31, 2020.
Stewardship Ontario will be consulting with stakeholders on our Blue Box Transition Plan proposals before submitting the plan to RPRA. A report of how we consulted with affected stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples, as well as how we met the Minister’s consultation requirements, will be included as an appendix to the submitted plan.
Minister grants extension for submitting Blue Box Program Transition Plan to RPRA
We hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy as we all adjust to the impacts of the evolving pandemic situation.
We announced last week that we postponed the April consultation webinars on Blue Box Program Transition Plan proposals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure meaningful consultations can still occur with all Blue Box stakeholders, we asked the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks for a 60-day extension for submitting the transition plan to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RRPA). The Minister has since granted Stewardship Ontario’s extension request in a letter received this week.
This extension allows us to:
- Extend the stakeholder feedback deadline on transition plan proposals to July 8, 2020.
- Submit the transition plan to RPRA no later than August 31, 2020 (rather than June 30, 2020).
The Minister still anticipates RPRA will approve the plan no later than December 31, 2020, meaning there will be no delay in the transition timelines originally set out in the Minister’s August 2019 direction letter.
We continue to assess the pandemic situation and will reschedule the consultation webinars at an appropriate time. The consultation materials we were going to present this week will be made available to stakeholders shortly so that they can be reviewed. Once these are available, we will invite stakeholders to send us their questions so that we can respond to them virtually.
Feedback
Your feedback and suggestions will be essential as we finalize the Blue Box Transition Plan. You can submit feedback by:
- Emailing consultation@stewardshipontario.ca;
- Using the online form here; or
- Mailing a letter to Stewardship Ontario, 1 St. Clair Ave. W, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M4V 1K6.
All feedback will be included and summarized in the consultation report submitted to RPRA along with the plan.
Questions
Please send questions to consultation@stewardshipontario.ca.