ON

First Nations and the Blue Box Transition

Preparing for Ontario’s Blue Box program transition to producer responsibility.

Overview

Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation sets out a multi-year transition to extended producer responsibility (EPR) for residential packaging and paper materials. The Regulation’s Transition Schedule includes 28 First Nation communities. 

Circular Materials, as the administrator of Ontario’s common collection system, is working with these First Nations to support their decision-making regarding transition and, if a First Nation accepts an offer from producers, to ensure a seamless transition of blue box services.  

Circular Materials is committed to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects which include collection of blue box material in First Nation communities. 

Where a First Nation delivers collection services, Circular Materials will: 

  • Compensate the First Nation for continued collection of blue box material from eligible sources. 
  • Compensate the First Nation for local P&E activities. 
  • Provide communications support for local P&E. 
  • Provide a location to which collected material can be delivered. 


Where a First Nation receives collection services from a municipality, Circular Materials will: 

  • Contract with the municipality (or a private company) to collect blue box material. If collection includes ineligible sources, the First Nation will cover the cost to collect from ineligible sources.  
  • Compensate the First Nation for local P&E activities. 
  • Provide communications support for local P&E. 
  • Provide a location to which collected material can be delivered. 


In both cases, Circular Materials and other producer responsibility organizations (PROs) will process material with First Nations covering the cost to process the portion collected from ineligible sources.   

  1. Meet with the First Nation to learn about existing systems and meet the people with whom we’ll be collaborating.
  2.  Together, develop, review and refine a document called a ‘narrative’ that describes the First Nation’s current blue box services and how producers can support blue box services going forward. 
  3. With Band Council approval to proceed, Circular Materials will develop an agreement for review by the First Nation that will, once agreed by both parties, be the basis of an offer to be submitted to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority’s (RPRA’s) Registry.  
  4. With Band Council approval to proceed, Circular Materials will submit the offer in the form of an unsigned agreement to the Registry and the First Nation.   
  5. RPRA will acknowledge receipt by email to the First Nation and Circular Materials.    
  6. RPRA will provide an acceptance/revocation form to the First Nation.    
  7. To accept the offer, the First Nation executes the agreement and returns the acceptance form to RPRA.    

    Questions 

    Please contact us at operations@circularmaterials.ca.