We have some great news to share. Starting December 1st, MODG residents will be able to put more items in their blue recycling bags!
Click here for a copy of the outgoing flyer. Click here for full materials lists.
What’s happening to Nova Scotia’s blue bag recycling program?
Nova Scotia’s Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, Paper Products and Packaging-Like Products Regulations shifts the financial and operational responsibility of packaging and paper recycling from municipalities to producers – those that produce and supply these materials to residents. This framework, known as Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR, improves recycling rates and encourages the more efficient use of materials. The transition to EPR launches December 1, 2025. Under the Regulation, the financial and operational responsibility for recycling system will shift from municipalities to producers.
What is EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility)?
Extended producer responsibility, or EPR, is a policy approach in which producers – the businesses that supply packaging and paper – are financially responsible and accountable for those materials over their full life cycle. Recycling programs founded on the principles of EPR improve recycling rates and support innovation, supply chain synergies, and encourage the efficient use of materials. EPR is recognized as one of the most effective ways to improve recycling rates and advance a circular economy where materials are looped back into the system and used again and again.
Who is Circular Materials?
Circular Materials is a national not-for-profit organization that builds efficient and effective recycling systems where materials are collected, recycled and returned to producers to use as recycled content in new packaging and paper. As the producer responsibility organization (PRO) for packaging and paper in Nova Scotia, Circular Materials is responsible for operating the new recycling system and ensuring producers meet their regulatory requirements.
Together, the EPR, Circular Materials and MODG are committed to increasing recycling rates and ensuring more materials are looped into the circular economy, benefiting both people and the environment. Learn more about Circular Materials at https://www.circularmaterials.ca/resident-provinces/nova-scotia/
As EPR and Circular Materials continue to enhance Nova Scotia’s recycling system, Nova Scotians have the opportunity to recycle more materials curbside and through a network of depots.