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What the Jurisdictions are Doing
New Brunswick
New Brunswick currently has one full EPR program for paint and has been working through
consultations and the preparation of draft regulations towards full EPR for used oil and con-
tainers, tires and electronic and electrical equipment under its Clean Environment Act through
its Designated Materials Regulation. In the case of tires, this involves a transition from a
currently-operated provincial stewardship program to an EPR program and used oil would
transition from a return-to-retail program to an EPR program. In addition, the province is har-
monizing key program elements such as product designations and definitions with adjoining
jurisdictions, particularly in the electronics area. Action on packaging and printed paper and
household hazardous waste has not commenced but the province has confirmed its intention
to comply with CCME’s timeline for all Phase 1 materials by 2015.
The province requires independent program financial audits and these are publicly available
via Recycle New Brunswick (NB), a provincial agency. Program performance measures, targets
and reporting requirements are not clear. For example there are no recovery or collection tar-
gets set for the paint program but there is a target of 70% reuse of the paint that is collected.
In the area of innovation, the province was the first jurisdiction to mandate cost internal-
ization for an EPR program with a ban on the addition of visible fees for paint at the point
of purchase. Producers are, however, permitted to indicate that prices contain an end-of-life
management cost. New Brunswick has indicated that it is considering a similar approach for all
other EPR-designated products.
The province has delegated authority for EPR and stewardship plan approvals and direct
program oversight on EPR and stewardship matters to Recycle NB.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI) has coordinated multi-stakeholder management of stewardship
programs for 22 materials, in both mandatory and voluntary formats with oversight by the
PEI Environment Division. In 2000, Prince Edward Island (PEI) implemented a province-wide
mandatory program called Waste Watch that requires residents and businesses to source sepa-
rate waste into recyclables, compostables and remaining waste.
PEI used its Material Recycling Regulations to implement an EPR program for used
electronic products in 2010 in harmony with Nova Scotia’s program and will be implementing
a program for paint on September 1, 2012. In addition, PEI is developing a multi-year, multi-
material implementation framework to support CCME’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 goals and to
transition stewardship programs into an EPR model.
EPR programs are required to submit annual plans which must include audited financial
statements. Environment officials evaluate the reports and review progress with the EPR
organization. Ministry of Finance and Environment enforcement staff routinely conduct
audits and investigations; however, these evaluations are not normally made public. Producers
typically provide guidance for diversion rates in their submitted plans and are assessed based
on actual diversion data (absolute quantities) which are published in their annual report.
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