New Brunswick, Canada, Develops EPR Program for Packaging, Printed Paper

An extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for packaging and printed paper will be developed by the provincial government of New Brunswick, Canada, in collaboration with Recycle NB and stakeholders.

“New Brunswick will benefit from the implementation of this program because it increases recycling opportunities, diverts material from landfills and puts the onus on large producers to reduce their packaging,” said Environment and Local Government Minister Jeff Carr in a statement. “Having vibrant and sustainable communities is one of our government’s six key priority areas. Our environment and our communities will benefit from this program because it will lead to more recycling of a wider range of items.”

Similar programs are in place in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, representing about 80 percent of the Canadian population.

“Extended producer responsibility is an environmental policy that gives industry the opportunity to accept its obligation to provide for the end-of-life management of the products it produces,” said Recycle NB CEO Frank LeBlanc in a statement. “We applaud the provincial government for moving toward a made-in-New Brunswick program that will see a 21st century waste management solution.”

It is estimated that New Brunswickers are already diverting 30 percent of packaging and printed paper through existing voluntary curbside recycling programs. An EPR program is expected to divert more than 60 percent of this material.

“An extended producer responsibility program for packaging and printed paper will help reduce waste and reduce strain on our landfills,” said Wayne Sturgeon, president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, in a statement. “It will save local governments money without costing our residents more in taxes. And since many products are priced nationally, New Brunswickers are already paying without getting the benefits.”

Currently, there are extended producer responsibility programs in New Brunswick for tires, paint, oil and glycol products and electronics.