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Two leading recycling organizations work together to boost awareness of what should and should not be recycled to enhance safety

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TORONTO and FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, June 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Across Ontario and New Brunswick, extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs are reshaping how residents recycle and raising the stakes for getting it right. Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA) and Circular Materials are working together to address one of the most persistent challenges that cuts across both provinces: confusion between two distinct recycling and stewardship streams that too often results in the wrong materials ending up in the wrong place.

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Both organizations share a common cause: ensuring that residents in Ontario and New Brunswick have clear, accessible guidance on how to sort and manage their recyclables and health products responsibly. Circular Materials manages the blue box and curbside recycling stream for packaging and paper products. HPSA manages the specialized take-back stream for unwanted medications, natural health products, and medical sharps.

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Why proper sorting matters

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When materials end up in the wrong stream, the consequences extend well beyond inconvenience. Cross-contamination compromises worker safety, disrupts recycling and recovery processes, and can reduce the environmental benefits both programs are designed to deliver.

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Audit data from both provinces illustrates the gap. Medical sharps, including used needles and lancets that must be returned through HPSA’s specialized take-back program, were found in 0.4 per cent of blue box samples in Ontario and 2.6 per cent in New Brunswick. While those numbers may appear small, any presence of sharps in the recycling stream creates a direct risk of injuries and hazardous material exposure for the workers handling those collections every day.

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“Sorting confusion is a sign that there is opportunity to clarify and amplify guidance,” said Delphine Lagourgue, President & CEO, HPSA. “HPSA and Circular Materials are committed to doing just that. Our take-back network runs through pharmacies across both provinces, and returning medications, natural health products, and medical sharps there is free and simple. What we’re doing together is making sure residents know that option exists and understand why it matters.”

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A critical moment for both provinces

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Both provinces are at a significant juncture in their approach to EPR. In Ontario, a transition to a fully producer-funded blue box system introduces an expanded and unified provincial material list in 2026, meaning residents across the province will be able to recycle the same and even more materials everywhere for the first time. In New Brunswick, the province’s EPR framework continues to be strengthened, including expanding access to recycling under EPR, extending services to multi-family residences, schools and communities that previously didn’t receive curbside collection.