Nova Scotia changes used oil, glycol and electronics stewardship regulations
The Nova Scotia government has changed its Solid Waste-Resource Management Regulations to mandate that industry create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for used oil and glycol related products. The program must be operational by January 1, 2020.
Nova Scotia’s regulation changes will also expand the industry’s existing EPR program for electronics by adding to the list of electronics that must be properly stewarded. This new list comes into effect on January 1, 2020.
The used oil and glycol related products, along with the additional electronics products will be banned from landfills as of March 1, 2020.
In 2018, the Nova Scotia government consulted with RCC about these proposed changes. RCC members did not oppose the government’s approach as the changes would harmonize Nova Scotia’s electronics and used oil program with best practices in the rest of the country.
Background:
The list of used oil, glycol and electronics products that will be impacted by this change:
- Microwaves
- e-book readers
- GPS devices
- video game systems and controllers
- external hard drives, optical drives, and modems
- used oil, oil filters, and oil containers
- glycol, which is a coolant, and glycol containers
The Electronic Products Recycling Association runs Nova Scotia’s electronics recycling program and will expand its program to recycle the new products.
The Used Oil Management Association runs a used oil and glycol program in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. It will expand its program into Nova Scotia to recycle the used oil and glycol products.
Next Steps:
Retail Council of Canada (RCC) continues to work with the Nova Scotia government to ensure that government initiatives are harmonized with best practices across the region and the country.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact: Jim Cormier, Director (Atlantic) at: jcormier@retailcouncil.org or 902-422-4144
