Stewardship Ontario
Stewardship Ontario is a Toronto-based not-for-profit that operated Ontario's Blue Box Program, funding residential packaging and paper recycling for 94% of provincial households through mandated industry steward fees. The organization is in wind-up following the program's December 31, 2025 cessation under full producer responsibility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Stewardship Ontario does
Stewardship Ontario is a Toronto-based not-for-profit industry stewardship organization founded in 2004 to operate Ontario's Blue Box Program for residential packaging and paper recycling on behalf of obligated industry stewards. It is incorporated and regulated under Ontario's Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, with the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) acting as the primary regulator approving transition plans, fee methodologies, and wind-up plans. The organization historically funded residential recycling that covered 94% of Ontario households and managed over 780,000 tonnes of packaging and printed paper annually, with a 60% recycling rate reported in 2019.
The organization delivered its services through the WeRecycle Portal — a secure online platform hosted by Circular Materials and shared with stewardship programs in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia — which handled steward registration, supply data reporting, fee invoices, and historical reports. Stewardship Ontario also operated the Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF), a partnership with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the City of Toronto, and RPRA that provided grants and loans to municipalities, and previously managed the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW / Orange Drop) program. Fee methodologies included the Four-Step Fee Methodology, the Material Cost Differentiation (MCD) approach, and Common Cost Allocation (CCA), with simplified fee setting approved in May 2022 to reduce administrative burden on stewards.
Stewardship Ontario is funded exclusively by fees paid by industry stewards under Ontario's producer responsibility framework, with a 2023 simplified fee budget of approximately $146,305,965 invoiced annually and allocated based on each steward's percentage share of the total budget. Small businesses under $2M in revenue are exempt from registration, and stewards with revenues over $2M but under 15,000 kg of reported materials are exempt from fees but must register and report. The organization has been in orderly wind-up since June 2021, when its Board of Directors transferred governance to an RPRA-appointed Administrator; the MHSW Program ceased September 30, 2021, and the Blue Box Program ceased operations at the close of business December 31, 2025, with full organizational wind-up activities to follow.
Stewardship Ontario firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stewardship Ontario
- Legal name
- Stewardship Ontario
- Website
- https://stewardshipontario.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stewardship Ontario is a Toronto-based not-for-profit that operated Ontario's Blue Box Program, funding residential packaging and paper recycling for 94% of provincial households through mandated industry steward fees. The organization is in wind-up following the program's December 31, 2025 cessation under full producer responsibility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stewardship Ontario industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Producer Responsibility Recycling Program Administration
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Curbside MSW Collection (Cart-Based) (EUAIAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Municipal Contract Collection & Franchise Operations (BPALAAAH), Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)
Keywords
Where Stewardship Ontario is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stewardship Ontario business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Steward Fee Contributions: Stewardship Ontario is a not-for-profit organization funded by fees paid by industry stewards (producers) who supply packaging and printed paper to Ontario's residential market. Steward fees fund the Blue Box Program's costs, including municipal payments, operations, and program administration. The organization also collected fees for the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) program prior to its wind-up.
- Simplified Fee Budget Allocation: Annual fees are calculated by applying each steward's percentage share allocation to the total Stewardship Ontario budget. The 2023 fee budget was approximately $146,305,965. Simplified fee setting uses percent shares based on individual steward fees for invoice years 2021 and 2022.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Small Business Exemption — Gross revenues under $2M annually |
| Subscription | Annual | Fee-Exempt Reporting — Revenues over $2M but under 15,000 kg materials |
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Simplified Fee — Based on percent share of total budget |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Stewardship Ontario product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stewardship Ontario operates Ontario's legacy residential Blue Box Program for packaging and paper recycling on behalf of industry stewards (brand owners, first importers, franchisors, retailers). The not-for-profit organization administers steward registration, fee invoicing, and municipal funding for curbside collection, and provides transition services supporting the shift to full extended producer responsibility under Ontario's Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016. The Blue Box Program ceased operations December 31, 2025, with the organization in wind-up.
Product overview
Stewardship Ontario operates Ontario's legacy Blue Box Program for residential packaging and paper recycling on behalf of industry stewards. The organization provides the WeRecycle Portal for steward registration and reporting, and offers Blue Box Transition Services to facilitate the move to full extended producer responsibility. Stewardship Ontario also previously managed the MHSW Program (Orange Drop), which ceased in 2021. The Continuous Improvement Fund supports municipal recycling improvements. The Blue Box Program ceased operations December 31, 2025.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Blue Box Program Ontario's residential packaging and paper recycling program, operated on behalf of industry stewards who fund the system through fees. The program served 94% of Ontario households and managed over 780,000 tonnes of material annually before ceasing operations December 31, 2025.
- Steward Reporting Services Services for obligated industry stewards including registration, annual supply data reporting, fee calculation via Four-Step Fee Methodology or Simplified Fee Setting, and adjustment request processing under Ontario's Blue Box Program rules.
- Municipality Information Services Information and resources for Ontario municipalities and First Nations communities regarding Blue Box Program participation, including transition schedules, municipal funding allocation, and promotion/education support.
- Blue Box Transition Services Transition planning and support services to move Ontario's legacy Blue Box Program to full extended producer responsibility under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, including stakeholder consultation, transition plan development, simplified fee setting, and wind-up activities through 2025.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% recycling rate for Blue Box materials (2019)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Stewardship Ontario
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stewardship Ontario technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Stewardship Ontario partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF)coreThe Continuous Improvement Fund is a partnership between Stewardship Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the City of Toronto, and the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA). CIF commenced operations on May 1, 2008, with a mandate to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Ontario's municipal blue box programs. It provided grants and loans to municipalities to increase recycling efficiency and boost system effectiveness. CIF Wind Up Plan was approved in December 2020, with operations ceasing December 31, 2024 and wind-up in 2025.
- Circular MaterialscoreCircular Materials hosts the WeRecycle Portal — a secure online platform used by Stewardship Ontario, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba, Multi-Material Stewardship Western (SK Recycles), and Recycle BC. The portal handles steward registration, supply data reporting, fee information access, and historical report retrieval.
- Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA)coreCSSA supported Stewardship Ontario with reporting platforms, webinars, steward resources, and fee calculator tools. CSSA held information webinars on Material Cost Differentiation methodology and provided the NSS (National Steward Services) team for online chat assistance through the WeRecycle Portal. CSSA also hosted Annual Steward Meetings on behalf of stewardship programs.
- Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA)coreRPRA is the regulating body for the Blue Box Program in Ontario. RPRA oversees various elements of the Blue Box Program related to municipalities, including the Municipal Funding Allocation Model, Annual Datacall, and In-kind Advertising Program. RPRA approves Stewardship Ontario's Transition Plans, fee methodologies, and program wind-up plans. The organization is administering the transition to full extended producer responsibility.
- Industry Stewardship Organizations (ISOs)coreIndustry Stewardship Organizations manage their own members' participation in the MHSW Program. During MHSW wind-up, Stewardship Ontario disbursed surplus funds to ISOs as lump sums, which ISOs then distributed to their individual ISP Members as fee reductions per approved agreements.
- Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)coreAMO is a key partner in the Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF) alongside Stewardship Ontario, City of Toronto, and RPRA. AMO co-chaired the 2017 accord requesting transition of the Blue Box Program to full EPR.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Stewardship Ontario competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Recycle BC: British Columbia's residential packaging and paper recycling producer responsibility organization, operating under a comparable EPR framework and using the same WeRecycle Portal infrastructure.
- Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM): Manitoba's producer responsibility organization for residential packaging and printed paper, sharing the WeRecycle Portal platform with Stewardship Ontario.
- Circular Materials: National non-profit producer responsibility organization that hosts the WeRecycle Portal used by Stewardship Ontario and operates similar residential packaging recycling programs in other Canadian provinces.
- Product Care Association: Canadian industry-funded product stewardship organization managing recycling programs for paint, pesticides, solvents, and other special products — directly comparable to Stewardship Ontario's former MHSW/Orange Drop mandate.
- Multi-Material Stewardship Western (SK Recycles): Saskatchewan's producer responsibility organization for printed paper and packaging, running a comparable EPR program and using the same WeRecycle Portal.
- Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA): Alberta's producer responsibility organization managing recycling programs for electronics, paint, tires, and other materials under provincial EPR regulations.
- Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA): Alliance providing shared services (reporting platforms, webinars, fee calculators, Annual Steward Meetings) to Stewardship Ontario and other Canadian PROs.
Broad incumbents
- Cascades Recovery: Canadian recycled products and recovery services provider that processes materials recovered from Ontario's Blue Box Program, representing downstream infrastructure adjacent to Stewardship Ontario's role.
- GFL Environmental: Major Canadian waste management and recycling company operating collection and processing services in Ontario, including curbside recycling infrastructure that Stewardship Ontario historically funded.
- Waste Management of Canada: Largest waste services provider in North America, operating recycling collection and processing infrastructure across Ontario that Stewardship Ontario helped fund through the Blue Box Program.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stewardship Ontario social profiles
Digital presenceStewardship Ontario financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stewardship Ontario leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Stewardship Ontario funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stewardship Ontario M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stewardship Ontario
What does Stewardship Ontario do?
Stewardship Ontario operates Ontario's legacy residential Blue Box Program for packaging and paper recycling on behalf of industry stewards (brand owners, first importers, franchisors, retailers). The not-for-profit organization administers steward registration, fee invoicing, and municipal funding for curbside collection, and provides transition services supporting the shift to full extended producer responsibility under Ontario's Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016. The Blue Box Program ceased operations December 31, 2025, with the organization in wind-up.
Is Stewardship Ontario a public or private company?
Stewardship Ontario is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Stewardship Ontario founded?
Stewardship Ontario was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stewardship Ontario based?
Stewardship Ontario is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Stewardship Ontario make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Steward Fee Contributions are the primary driver. The others are simplified Fee Budget Allocation.
Who are Stewardship Ontario's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Recycle BC, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM), Circular Materials, Product Care Association, Multi-Material Stewardship Western (SK Recycles), Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) and Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA). Broad incumbents are Cascades Recovery, GFL Environmental and Waste Management of Canada.
Does Stewardship Ontario have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stewardship Ontario.
What industry is Stewardship Ontario in?
Stewardship Ontario's product category is Producer Responsibility Recycling Program Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAAAA, Residential Curbside MSW Collection (Cart-Based), with a secondary code of BPALAAAH, Municipal Contract Collection & Franchise Operations. Its NAICS code is 56292 and its SIC code is 4953.