Nova Scotia regulations require electronics, oil recycling

Nova Scotia announced updates to the Canadian province’s environmental regulations that will expand the ability to recycle used oil, glycol and electronics through expanded extended producer responsibility programs.

“Nova Scotians are national leaders in keeping unnecessary waste out of our landfills and we want it to stay that way,” says Margaret Miller, environment minister in Nova Scotia. “That’s why we are requiring industry to recycle more products.” 

With changes to the province’s solid waste-resource management regulations, industry must be ready with programs to recycle new products by Jan. 1, 2020, according to reports on the Nova Scotian government’s website.

In addition to the industry recycling programs, effective March 1, 2020, the following products will be banned from Nova Scotian landfills:

• 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; and,

• glycol, which is a coolant, and glycol containers.

According to the Nova Scotian government’s website reports, the affected industries must develop or expand recycling programs for these products. 

The Electronic Products Recycling Association has been running Nova Scotia’s electronics recycling program for the past 10 years. It will expand its program to recycle the new products. In addition, the Used Oil Management Association runs a used oil and glycol program in other provinces. It will expand its program into Nova Scotia to recycle these products.