Plastic bottles/Shutterstock
Your empties just are about to get a little more valuable in B.C..
there will be a 10-cent deposit (applied when you purchase beverages at retailers)聽for all ready-to-drink beverage containers containing juice, water, energy, sports drinks as well as soft drinks up to and including one-litre sizes聽as of Nov. 1, 2019.
"We need to do all we can to prevent plastics and other waste from getting into our oceans and waterways,鈥澛爏aid Alison Wood, co-founder of Ocean Ambassadors Canada in a news release. 鈥淲e welcome this direction by Return-It.聽It demonstrates their leadership and commitment to recycling and protecting our environment.鈥�
The full 10-cent refund for containers will be available when you return your bottles at Return-It depots as well as retail locations across the province.
Deposits for beverage containers聽more than one-litre in the Return-It system will not be impacted by the deposit increase.
Return-It has managed the recycling of beverage containers throughout B.C. for 25 years.
Last year, the company increased聽its recovery rate from prior years to 77.4 per cent and say they are focused on "improving it even further."
"Raising the deposit value will provide additional incentive for consumers to return their beverage containers,鈥澛燗llen Langdon, President & CEO of Return-It adds in the release.聽鈥淏.C. is already a leader when it comes to protecting our environment and being at the forefront of industry product stewardship.聽The increase we are announcing today is an important step forward to optimize our system and increase recovery rates.鈥�
In September, the provincial government began a consultation on developing its Clean BC Plastics Action Plan.
Return-It says as part of the consultations, the government is now looking at a possible unified deposit rate of 10聽cents on all beverage containers to increase recovery as well as reduce waste by consumers and confusion with retailers.
"Return-It is leading this change in deposit rates to ensure the increase is managed efficiently and effectively for all British Columbians and the businesses that will be affected by this change," the announcement said.
