Who We Are
Created in 1996 and regulated by Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change to manage the Beverage Container Deposit-Refund Program and the Used Tire Management Program, Divert NS is a not-for-profit corporation championing recycling and resource recovery in Nova Scotia. For almost 30 years, we’ve helped build a culture of recycling through environmental stewardship, funding, and education, helping to make Nova Scotia a recognized global innovator in waste diversion solutions.
In 2023, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change appointed Divert NS to administer the Extended Producer Responsibility regulations for packaging, paper products, and packaging-like products, which places responsibility for curbside recycling programs on the producers of recyclable packaging and paper products.
Our Mission is to improve our environment, economy, and quality of life by working with Nova Scotians to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover resources.
What We Do
443 M
containers returned for recycling last year
1.4 M
end-of-life passenger tires returned for recycling last year
How We Do It
Divert NS does not receive any government funding — we’re entirely self-sustaining through the environmental fees collected from our programs and the sale of recyclable materials. Over 70 percent of this revenue goes back to municipalities around the province to support waste diversion programs in your community.
Why We Do It
Did you know that Canada’s solid waste landfills are responsible for approximately 23% of the country’s methane emissions, which is a potent greenhouse gas with at least 28 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Our recycling programs, carried out by everyday Nova Scotians, stop a wide range of materials from being disposed in our provincial landfills. Waste reduction helps to preserve valuable resources, like energy and time. This contributes to the circular economy — a positive system that phases out waste and pollution by using what we already have.
