The Resource Productivity & Recovery Authority (RPRA) – Canadian end-of-life tire management authority – has posted the final 2021 Registry fees for end-of-life tires and other recyclable materials.

These are fees that producers obligated under the Tires Regulation, Batteries Regulation and Information Technology, Telecommunications and Audio-Visual (ITT/AV) portion of the EEE Regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) are required to pay to the Authority in 2021 to recover its operational costs, including costs related to building and operating the Registry, and compliance and enforcement activities.

The RPRA asserts that the 2021 Registry fees apply only to producers, consistent with the objectives of the RRCEA to hold producers individually accountable and financially responsible for the products and packaging they supply into the Ontario market. Producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and other service providers such as collectors, processors and haulers are not required to pay Registry fees.

The Authority’s 2021 Registry fees also continue to be based on a mixed variable and fixed model to ensure equity and fairness for small and medium-sized businesses and to support the objectives of the producer responsibility framework of the RRCEA:

The RPRA says that for end-of-life tires, the Authority has maintained the base 2021 Registry fees for large producers at the same level set in 2020 at 13.5 cents/tire. There was no material surplus or deficit in the program in 2020 to require an adjustment in the base fee in 2021. The de minimis threshold and $75 flat fee for small producers remains the same.

This document sets out the Authority’s 2021 Registry Fees for Tires, Batteries and Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE).

The 2021 Registry fees are charges that producers obligated under the Tires Regulation, the Batteries Regulation and the Information Technology, Telecommunications and Audio-Visual (ITT/AV) equipment portion of the EEE Regulation are required to pay to the Authority in 2021 to recover its operational costs, including costs related to building and operating the Registry, and compliance and enforcement activities.

The 2021 Registry Fees for Tires, Batteries and EEE have been set on the following basis:

• Fees are only being charged to producers. There are no fees for service providers or producer responsibility organizations (PROs).

• Batteries and EEE continue to be treated as a single program.

• Variable fees for large producers of tires, batteries and EEE are based on the 2020 Registry fees, plus adjustments for prior year surplus or deficit. o Tires: The 2020 base variable fee was 13.5 cents/tire. There was no material surplus or deficit in 2020 to require an adjustment to the 2021 base fee. As such, the 2021 base variable fee remains unchanged at 13.5 cents/tire. Batteries and electronics: The 2020 base variable fee was 3.4 cents/kg. Due to a deficit from 2020, the base fee is adjusted to 4 cents/kg.

• The de minimis threshold for small producers of batteries and EEE is being adjusted from 2020 to ensure alignment with the regulations. And a $75 flat fee for small producers is being introduced to be consistent across all RRCEA programs.

• The de minimis threshold and flat fee for small producers of tires remains the same as 2020.

*The number of tires supplied is based on a rolling average of three years (2017-2019 for 2021 fees)of data required to be submitted by producers under the Tires Regulation.

**The kg supplied for EEE is based on the average of the 2018 and 2019 supply data required to be submitted by producers under the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation, net of the number of kg that the producer is permitted to count toward a reduction in the management requirement under the regulation. The kg supplied for batteries is based on an average of 2018, 2019, and 2020 supply data required to be submitted by single-use battery producers and 2018 and 2019 data required to be submitted by rechargeable battery producers under the Batteries Regulation, net of the number of kg that the producer is permitted to count toward a reduction in the management requirement under the regulation.

Fee payment timeline

When producers register on the Registry, fees will be automatically calculated. Fees are due based on the terms of the invoice.

Other charges and fees

The Authority will levy other charges as follows:

• A monthly 1.5% late payment fee as a percentage of the fee value

• Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks costs associated with Environmental Review Tribunal hearings resulting from the appeal of compliance orders and administrative penalty orders from affected parties

• Prosecution costs directly from affected parties

Review timeline

The Authority seeks to find the right balance between the frequency of fee adjustments to ensure the Authority’s financial sustainability while providing reasonable predictability for regulated parties. Fees will be reviewed again for 2022 to ensure they reflect the information available at that time.