EPR or Extended Producer Responsibility programs represent a major change in the traditional balance of responsibilities between the manufacturers and distributors of consumer goods, consumers and governments with respect to how the waste from a specific product is managed. EPR really indicates a paradigm shift by extending the traditional environmental responsibilities that producers and distributors have traditionally been assigned, to complete the cycle and include the management of their products after they have been consumed. Across Canada you may find many variations for how these principles are applied, but it is likely that most programs will involve producers and distributors of commercial goods taking both financial and physical responsibility for the management of wastes generated through the consumption of their products. This concept is continually evolving into a more comprehensive solution and currently includes both the product itself as well as the packaging in which the product was sold.

Typical benefits of EPR programs:

• Shifts end-of-life costs to the producers and/or others in the product chain rather than having
  costs borne by municipalities and general taxpayers.


• Producers with expensive end-of-life management costs have both the incentive and
  opportunity to redesign their product to minimize these costs.


• Creates incentives for producers to remove toxic substances from products and develop
  greener designs in the future.


• Creates a solid framework for continual program development without the need for
  government legislation.


• May reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased use of recycled materials.


• Puts New Brunswick on the path towards zero waste.