Let's talk trade shows

April was a busy month for Recycle NB. It was trade show season, and we participated in three this year –the Atlantic Heavy Equipment Show in Moncton, the Saint John Home Show and the Fredericton Home Show. Over three weeks, nearly 1,000 people stopped by our booth to ask about our programs or pick up some Recycle NB swag, and nearly 500 entered our draws for jackets and shirts.

Trade shows are valuable because they give us the opportunity to chat face to face with the public – to tell you first-hand what we are all about. It gives us a chance to remind people about our role, which is to oversee recycling programs for designated materials. These include tires, paint, oil/antifreeze and electronics. Soon, we will also oversee a program for packaging and paper products.

To explain further, designated materials are those which have been identified by the province as requiring a management plan to ensure they do not end up in our landfills. Additionally, in New Brunswick, the responsibility for managing leftover paint, used oil and antifreeze and end-of-life electronics falls on brand owners – those who sell or manufacture the products. This is referred to as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Under EPR programs, brand owners must develop a plan for collecting the above materials (setting up depots around the province where consumers can return the products), as well as transporting, storing and processing them for reuse or recycling.

Back to trade shows, however. They also give us a chance to answer your questions. And you had a lot of questions! The majority focused on the locations of recycling depots to return your tires, paint, oil and antifreeze, and electronics. Many of you, however, also had questions about composting programs, curbside recycling, battery recycling, and glass recycling. For most of those questions, we had to direct you to your local regional service commission, which are responsible for municipal recycling programs. To find out more about local recycling, you can visit our website at https://www.recyclenb.com/regional-commissions.

We have one more trade show this year – the Atlantic Truck Show in Moncton in October. Hopefully we will see you there. In the meantime, Happy Recycling!