Frequently Asked Questions

Each year, the Authority reviews and grades the responses to the Best Practice questions. Municipalities will receive a Best Practice score (out of 100%) that contributes to 15% of their Blue Box funding. The 2020 relative weights of each Best Practice objective are as follows:

1. Program Performance Projections and Analysis (20.75% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)
2. Blue Box Efficiency Assessments (12.35% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)
3. Program Performance Outcomes (33.3% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)
4. Training of Key Program Staff in Core Competencies (11.23% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)
5. Blue Box Promotion and Education Achievements and Initiatives (11.23% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)
6. Development of Effective Policies that Promote Waste Diversion (11.23% of Best Practice Score towards Blue Box funding)

From October 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, producers are required to establish the following:

• Collection sites – maintain at least the same number of sites that producers had at the end of the MHSW Program
• Collection events – make best efforts to hold the same number of events in each community as in 2020
• Call-in Service (only applicable to large producers) – provide a phone number for communities to call to request a pickup (of 100 kg or more) if requested by a council of the band, a municipality or a territorial district not located in the Far North, a depot owned or operated by the Crown not in the Far North.

Large producers shall make reasonable efforts to collect the HSP within one year of being notified by a representative of a council of the band located on a reserve in the Far North.

See our FAQ to understand “Am I a small, large or exempt HSP producer?“

Under the HSP Regulation, producers are required to make reasonable efforts to establish and operate at least as many collection sites for each type of HSP in each local municipality, territorial district or reserve as the number of sites that were operated on September 30, 2021.

Producers are also required to make reasonable efforts to hold at least as many collection events for that type of HSP in each local municipality, territorial district or reserve as the number of events that were held in the 2020 calendar year.

In accordance with the legislation (Resource Recovery Circular Economy Act 2016, section 57), the Authority is required to comply with strict confidentiality requirements. The Authority has also developed an Access and Privacy Code that applies to its day-to-day operations.

The Registry has been developed according to cybersecurity best practice principles. This includes VPN-based restrictions, staff training on all cybersecurity policies, staff access to the Registry on a strict role-requirement basis, and registry interface security features (example: two-factor authentication).

There could be several reasons why you are experiencing a server error in the Datacall.

The best way for us to support you is if you email a screenshot of the error and details of what occurred to datacall@rpra.ca. We will contact you once the error has been fixed, which is usually within the same business day.

First the Steward Obligation, InKind and Continuous Improvement (CIF) amounts are determined and then the funding is allocated for each municipal program in the MFAM (Municipal Funding Allocation Model). The MFAM uses the following three factors to determine the funding amount for each municipal Blue Box program:

1. Best Practices score from Section 2.4 (accounts for 15% of funding)
2. Recovered Tonnage of Blue Box materials marketed (accounts for 35% of funding)
3. Net Cost of Blue Box program (accounts for 50% of funding)

No, First Nations are not required to participate. First Nations can choose if the producer-run Blue Box system is the best option for their community. One of RPRA’s roles in overseeing the Blue Box program is to provide as much information as possible to support a community’s informed decision.

If your community is still undecided about whether or not to register, we encourage you to reach out to a Compliance Officer at registry@rpra.ca with your questions or to get more information.

As of October 1, 2021, producers of mercury-containing barometers, thermometers and thermostats must provide a call-in service number for communities to call to request a pickup if requested by the following representatives:

• a council of the band
• a municipality not located in the Far North
• a territorial district that is not located in the Far North
• a depot owned or operated by the Crown not in the Far North

Producers shall make reasonable efforts to collect the HSP within one year of being notified by a representative of a council of the band located on a reserve in the Far North.

Yes. RPRA changes the Datacall record according to audit results, where applicable. All efforts are made to ensure these changes are reflected in the reporting year’s Datacall. Municipalities who were audited will receive a copy of their final audit report prior to the next Datacall reporting deadline.

If you have any questions regarding your previous year’s data, contact datacall@rpra.ca.

This depends on the specifics of the arrangement. Please contact the Authority for further information and clarification at datacall@rpra.ca.

In general, only residential WEEE collected by municipal efforts is reported in the Datacall.

RPRA takes a risk-based and proportional approach to compliance. This approach focuses on the potential risks that arise from non-compliance and assessing those risks to guide the use of compliance tools and the deployment of resources to minimize risk and maximize compliance. Learn more about RPRA’s Risk-Based Compliance Framework.

As a provincial regulator, we have the following powers to bring non-compliant parties into compliance:

• Broad inquiry powers including authority to compel documents and data
• Inspections and investigations
• Audits
• Compliance Orders and Administrative Penalty Orders (amounts to be set in regulation once finalized)
• Prosecution

RPRA’s primary approach to compliance is through communications (C4C – Communicating for Compliance). RPRA communicates directly with obligated parties and informs them of their requirements and when and how they must be completed. A high degree of compliance is achieved with this approach.

RPRA considers free riders a high priority to the programs we administer and focuses compliance efforts on bringing free riders into compliance with the regulations.

See our FAQ to understand “What is a free rider?”, and “What do I do if I think a business is a free rider?”

No. Effective February 6, 2023, RPRA will no longer accept requests for extensions to registration or reporting deadlines. Obligated parties should make every effort to ensure they meet all submission deadlines as part of their obligations under their associated regulation.

For more guidance, read the Late Registration or Report Submissions Compliance Bulletin.