FAQ Members

The Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA) is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization representing producers of consumer health products (CHP) in Canada. HPSA was formed to fulfill a producers’ stewardship obligations in provinces with regulations that mandate the safe and effective collection and disposal of unwanted medications and used medical sharps. HPSA works to support its community of stakeholders, protect the environment, and ensure Canadians can live a safe, healthy and clean lifestyle.

HPSA currently operates in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

Consumer health products (CHP) are health products sold directly to the consumer, which includes prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and natural health products as well as medical sharps.

Unwanted medications refer to any prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and natural health products that are expired, damaged or no longer needed for any reason. Talk to your doctor about your medication requirements.

Medical sharps include infusion sets, safety pens and syringes with needles attached, lancets, needle tips, needles, pens, pen needles, pre-filled cartridges and pre-filled syringes.

A producer is any of the following:

• The owner of or licensee of the brand or rights holder under which the affected health products are sold to consumers in provinces with regulations
• The importer of the affected health products into provinces with regulations
• The seller of products to consumers under a brand name that the manufacturer owns, licenses or has rights to in provinces with regulations

A producer can either be a manufacturer, brand owner or first importer of a pharmaceutical or a medical sharp. Please reach out to us to inquire whether your company is obligated under provincial regulation.

If you would like to join HPSA, please reach out to us at info@healthsteward.ca to get an application form.

Registered producers pay an annual fee to HPSA based on their market share of sales per program and province.

All manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and other suppliers of regulated products in any of the provinces in Canada with provincial extended producer responsibility regulations must be active in an approved product stewardship plan. On your behalf, HPSA develops and renews product stewardship plans, manages public education campaigns as well as the collection network (supplies, service providers) and submits Annual Reports to regulatory bodies.

You can find the regulation document below that corresponds to one of the participating provinces.

• British Columbia Recycling Regulation (2004)
• Manitoba Household Hazardous Material and Prescribed Material Stewardship Regulation (2011)
• Ontario EPA Regulation 298/12 (2012)
• PEI Regulation EC 2014-349: Environmental Protection Act – Materials and Stewardship and Recycling Regulations (2014)

No. If you are a member of HPSA, we will notify the provincial governments on your behalf of your participation in our programs.

HPSA is 100% funded by registered producers of consumer health products.

Yes. The HPSA Stewardship Program is for medications and medical sharps only. It is up to individual producers to determine their obligations under other provincial EPR regulations.