The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) recently expanded the mandate of the Resource Productivity & Recovery Authority (RPRA) to include digital reporting services for a wider range of waste and resource recovery programs beyond producer responsibility, starting with the Hazardous Waste Information Network (HWIN) for industrial hazardous or liquid waste.

In a decision posted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario on December 19, 2019, MECP amended the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Waste Diversion Transition Act to expand the Authority’s mandate. The Ministry consulted on the proposal and determined the change will provide efficient digital services for businesses to enable better compliance monitoring and timely enforcement actions. The change will also increase the number of RPRA stakeholders to create a larger group of users to share common program costs.

The Authority’s existing registry expertise will help eliminate the administrative burden and associated costs of processing over 450,000 paper documents for the Hazardous Waste Program. The ministry will hold further consultations on regulations that will transition reporting services to the Authority in 2020.

The RPRA was created in November 2016 by the Government of Ontario to support the transition to a circular economy and a waste-free Ontario. It receives its authority from the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 (WDTA).

Under the WDTA,  the RPRA oversees three waste diversion programs:

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Under the RRCEA, the organization enforce individual producer responsibility (IPR) requirements for managing waste associated with products and packaging.

RPRA responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing existing waste diversion programs until they are wound up.
  • Approving wind-up plans developed by industry funding organizations and overseeing their implementation.
  • Developing and operating a registry for producers responsible for materials under the RRCEA to register with the Authority and report on waste recovery.
  • Managing, analyzing and reporting on the information in the registry.
  • Carrying out compliance and enforcement activities.
  • Advocating for the circular economy to spur innovation and protect the environment.

For further information on HWIN, click here.

Featured image from RCRC.

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