NB
Recycling in New Brunswick
New Brunswick has started transitioning to a recycling system where the businesses that sell packaging and paper products to consumers will be financially and operationally responsible for collecting, processing and recycling those materials.
An enhanced recycling program
New Brunswick’s Designated Materials Regulation under the Clean Environment Act shifts responsibility for blue box materials to the organizations that produce products and packaging. Under the old system, communities shared the costs.
As per the New Brunswick Stewardship Plan for Packaging and Paper, starting November 1, 2023, eligible communities will transition their recycling programs to this new extended producer responsibility framework. During the transition period, you won’t notice any difference to your pick-up schedule or the materials you can recycle. What’s changing is who is responsible for funding and operating the recycling system.
Once the transition is complete, producers will be fully accountable and financially responsible recycling the products and packaging that end up in recycling bins.
Transition timelines
The transition to the new system will be complete by 2027.
Consultation on the New Brunswick Stewardship Plan for Packaging and Paper
In 2022, Circular Materials completed a comprehensive consultation process with stakeholders on its Stewardship Plan. Resources from these consultations are included below.
FAQs
Check out our FAQs below to find out more about the new recycling system in New Brunswick. If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@circularmaterials.ca.
Starting on November 1, 2023, New Brunswick’s recycling system will transition to a new model where it is 100% funded and operated by producers – those that sell packaging and paper products to residents. Circular Materials is the not-for-profit organization responsible for the system and representing producers to ensure they meet their obligations under the new framework. You likely won’t notice any difference to your daily routine and you’ll still be able to recycle exactly the same materials as before. However, under the new system, producers are now financially responsible and accountable for managing the waste associated with their products and packaging.
Historically, New Brunswick’s recycling programs were operated by regional service commissions, municipalities and First Nations communities. Now, under the Designated Materials Regulation, New Brunswick is transitioning to a new model where producers – the organizations that produce the products and packaging – will be responsible for operating and funding the program.
Extended producer responsibility makes the businesses that sell products and packaging responsible for them over their full life cycle. This encourages companies to make more careful decisions about the materials they use in their packaging and products, and it holds them responsible for the cost of recycling those products at the end of their life.
Circular Materials is a national not-for-profit organization that supports producers to meet their obligations under extended producer responsibility regulations. We are working with our producer partners to ensure New Brunswick’s recycling system is efficient and effective, making sure materials are reused again and again.
This new system, operated by Circular Materials, represents the evolution from product stewardship to a more circular economy where materials are collected, recycled and returned to producers for use as recycled content in new products and packaging. More material looped into the circular economy means less waste, which not only benefits consumers, but also our planet.