Electronics Program

Electronics Program

Electronics Program Overview

The Government of New Brunswick established an Extended Producer Responsibility program for electronic products in 2017. Designated Materials Regulation 2008-54 under the Clean Environment Act sets out the requirements for the program.

As the agency responsible for designated materials in New Brunswick, Recycle NB oversees the electronics program.

As per the Regulation, brand owners are obligated to submit a stewardship plan for the manufacture, storage, collection, transportation, recycling, disposal or other handling of electronic products that are sold, offered for sale or distributed in New Brunswick. Brand owners chose Electronic Products Recycling Association as the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to operate the program on their behalf. A stewardship plan has been approved by Recycle NB.

On July 14, 2024, the Government of New Brunswick introduced Designated Materials Regulation 2024-37 under the Clean Environment Act, repealing the previous Regulation. New definitions for obligated producers are in effect. Please note that brand owners shall remain bound by Regulation 2008-54 until December 31, 2025, as though that Regulation had not been repealed. For more information, please review Designated Materials Regulation 2024-37 or contact Recycle NB at info@recyclenb.com or 1-506-454-8473.


Brand Owners

According to Designated Materials Regulation 2008-54 under the Clean Environment Act, all brand owners who wish to sell, offer for sale or distribute electronic products to a person in the Province must register with Recycle NB.

Regulation 2008-54 defines a brand owner as a person who:

(i) is a manufacturer of electronic products,
(ii) is a distributor of electronic products,
(iii) is an owner or licensee of a registered or unregistered trademark under which electronic products are sold, offered for sale or distributed, or
(iv) if an electronic product is imported into the Province, is the first person to sell the electronic product.

On July 14, 2024, the Government of New Brunswick introduced Designated Materials Regulation 2024-37 under the Clean Environment Act, repealing the previous Regulation. New definitions for obligated producers are in effect. Please note that brand owners shall remain bound by Regulation 2008-54 until December 31, 2025, as though that Regulation had not been repealed. For more information, please review Designated Materials Regulation 2024-37 or contact Recycle NB at info@recyclenb.com or 1-506-454-8473.

Fees

According to Section 50.44 of the Regulation:

50.44(1)Subject to subsection (2), a brand owner or a retailer, on behalf of a brand owner, may recover from the consumer costs associated with implementing or operating an electronic products stewardship plan, or costs associated with supplying material under section 50.43.

50.44(2)A brand owner or a retailer who recovers costs under subsection (1) shall integrate those costs
(a) into a total advertised sales price of the electronic product, and
(b) into the sales price of the electronic product on the receipt of sale.50.44(3)A brand owner or a retailer is not prohibited from informing the public that the price of an electronic product includes costs recovered under subsection (1) and communicating those costs to the public.

Fee Schedule
The Environmental Handling Fee charged on new electronic products is not a tax and it is not collected by government. EPRA (Electronic Products Recycling Association) sets the Environmental Handling Fee for each new electronic product. Please consult the EPRA NB Website for more information.