Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority is the regulator mandated by the Government of Ontario to enforce the province’s circular economy laws.

Established in November 2016 to support the transition to a waste-free Ontario, the Authority administers the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 (WDTA), and their associated regulations.

The WDTA outlines the legislative framework for winding up and transitioning legacy waste diversion programs. The RRCEA provides for a new producer responsibility regulatory framework for waste diversion and resource recovery where producers are individually accountable and financially responsible for their products and packaging once consumers dispose of them.

Under the WDTA, we currently oversee the Blue Box Program and its wind up between 2023 and 2025. Under the RRCEA, we support businesses to comply with individual producer responsibility (IPR) requirements for producers of Tires, Batteries, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Hazardous and Special Products and Blue Box, including undertaking enforcement actions when required.

Our responsibilities include: - Overseeing existing waste diversion programs until they are wound up - Overseeing the wind up of industry funding organizations - Developing and operating an online registry for producers responsible for materials under the RRCEA to register with the Authority and report on waste recovery - Developing and operating digital reporting services for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Park’s excess soil and hazardous waste management programs - Managing, analyzing and reporting on the information in the registry - Supporting businesses in complying with regulatory requirements - Carrying out compliance and enforcement activities - Providing information to the public about Ontario’s progress in advancing a circular economy