Ontario EPR compliance service Circular Materials officially launches

Under the new Ontario Blue Box Regulation, producers will be 100% physically and financially responsible for the Blue Box, a residential recycling program for materials like paper, glass, plastics, and more. The program transition will occur between July 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025 with producers taking full control of the system by 2026. As part of the new competitive system, there will be multiple producer responsibility organizations (PROs) for producers to choose from to help meet regulatory obligations, such as material collection and reporting.

Last week, 15 of Canada’s leading food, beverage and consumer products manufacturers, restaurants and retailers announced the creation of Circular Materials, a new, national PRO offering compliance services to companies obligated under extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations in Canada. Within Ontario, this not-for-profit, producer-governed PRO will operate as Circular Materials Ontario and will provide a full suite of compliance services.