BottleBill.org - All Canadian Deposit Laws

	Containers with deposits	Redemption Rate (either recycled or refilled)	Amount of Deposit	Fees or taxes	Reclamation System	Unredeemed Deposits	Handling Fees	Complementary Recycling Programs	History
Alberta	All beverage containers except milk1 (milk is under a voluntary recovery program through depots)	2007 return rates: Glass (Refillable Beer): 94.0% Glass (One-way Beer): 91.7% Aluminum (Beer): 86.8% Aluminum (Soft drink): 75.3% Glass: 76.8% Plastic: 66.1% Bi-Metal: 57.7% Polycoat: 56.9% OVERALL: 76.0%2	<1 litres: 5¢ >1 litres: 20¢ beer: 10¢3	None	212 permitted province-wide depots. Beer containers are collected through licencees, liquor stores and beer stores.	Retained by distributor/bottler	<500ml: 3¢t >500ml: 5¢ liquor containers: 5¢t imported beer: 3.55¢	65% of the population have access to multi-material curbside and/or depot programs.
British Columbia	All beverage containers except milk, milk substitutes, rice milk, soya milk, flavoured milk, infant formulas, meal replacements or dietary supplement	Non-Alcoholic: Aluminum: 81% Plastic: 72% Glass: 69% Polycoat: 54.5% Pouches: 47.4% Other: 59.2% OVERALL: 73%4	≤1L Non-Alcoholic, 5¢ ≤1L Alcoholic, 10¢ >1L, 20¢5	Recycling Fees on non-alcoholic: PET <1L: 1¢ PET >1L: 4¢ HDPE/PVC <1L: 1¢ HDPE/PVC >1L: 4¢ Glass <1L: 4¢ Glass >1L: 5¢ Drink boxes 501mL-1L: 4¢ Poly cup: 1¢6	349 major grocery stores for return-to-retail stores, and 169 province-wide depots	Retained by distributor/bottler for non-alcohol & domestic beer. Retained by vendor for other alcohol	Al cans, bi-metal<1L, pouches, tetra pak/gable top<500ml: 3¢ Plastic<1L: 4¢ Bi-metal>1L, tetra pak/gable top>501ml, glass: 5¢ Plastic>1L: 7¢	About 80% of the population have access to multi-material curbside and/or depots programs.
Manitoba	Beer containers only (all other beverage containers are collected through the blue box)	Refillable beer: 95.5% Domestic beer cans: 74.4% PET: 37% Glass: 34% Aluminum cans: 31% Gable top/Aseptic: 26% Steel: 26% HDPE: 23% OVERALL RESIDENTIAL: 31% (via blue box)	Beer: 10¢		Return-to-retail for beer only	Retained by beer distributor/bottler	None	About 71% of the population has access to multi-material curbside recycling. About 15% can access drop-off depots.
New Brunswick	All beverage containers except milk	Refillable beer: 95.9% Aluminum: 77% PET: 76% Domestic beer cans: 75% Glass: 69% Other 73% NON-ALCOHOL - OVERALL: 75% ALCOHOL - OVERALL: 74%	<500ml: 10¢ >500ml: 20¢	Half-back system: half of the deposit is returned when containers are redeemed	89 province-wide depots	Retained by distributor/bottler	3.2¢ refillable beer: 2.2¢	About 30% of the population have access to multi-material curbside recycling and 40% have access to depots.
Newfoundland	All beverage containers except milk , fountain cups, or those with a greater than 5L capacity7	Refillable beer: 95% Domestic beer cans: 54.6% OVERALL: 68%8	Non alcoholic: 8¢ Alcoholic: 20¢9	Like a half-back system: 3¢ is kept on the non-alcoholic bottles, a dime on the alcoholic.10	37 province-wide depots and 50 satellite depots	Retained by government organization ( Multi-Materials Stewardship Board ) and used to offset costs. Surplus is placed in provincial trust fund.		A few communities have individual recovery programs.
Nova Scotia	All beverage containers except milk	Refillable beer: 96.1% Domestic beer cans: 69.5% OVERALL: 84% (Includes alcohol and non-alcohol)	Non-liquor: 10 ¢; Liquor: Refillable <1L: 10 ¢ Refillable >1L: 20 ¢ Non-refillabler <500mL: 10 ¢ Non-refillable >500mL: 20 ¢11	Half-back system: half of the deposit is returned when containers are redeemed	83 province-wide depots12	Retained by government organization (RRFB) and used to offset costs. Surplus is used for municipal curbside and depot programs.	2.75¢ /unit	92% of population have access to multi-material curbside recycling. 50% have access to curbside organic collection. 100% have access to depots.
Northwest Territories	Bottle, can, plastic cup or paperboard carton or a package made of metal, plastic, paper, glass or other material, or a combination of them, that contains or contained a beverage that is ready for consumption; not milk19	Program new. Since beginning in November 2005, by March 15 2006 over 6 million containers had been returned.20 Original estimates were that 25 million containers were disposed of every year. Some basic number crunching shows an approximate 72% recovery rate. (6x3 / 25)	See detailed table below.	Return to one of 18 government depots;21 Now also 26 community depots22	Retained by NWT	See table.	Depots serve about 80% of the population.23
Ontario	Beer	Refillable beer, “Industry Standard Bottle”, LCBO and The Beer Store: 97%; Aluminum Beer Cans: 67%13 Aluminum 38.2% OVERALL RESIDENTIAL: 52.9% (via blue box); 14	Beer: 10¢		Return to Beer Store only, LCBO does not take empties.	Retained by beer distributor/ bottler	Ontario's Waste Diversion Act requires all companies that introduce packaging and printed paper into Ontario’s consumer marketplace to share in paying 50% of the funding of Ontario's municipal Blue Box programs.15	97% of households and 60% of apartment buildings have access to curbside recycling.
Prince Edward Island	Soft drinks/ alcoholic beverages Wine may be subject16	Refillable beer: 96.4% Wine/liquor - OVERALL: 59% Soft drinks - OVERALL : 98%	Non-alcoholic: <500mL: 15¢ 500mL-1L: 30¢ >1L: 70¢ Alcoholic: $1.20/dozen or 7¢ each17 Except on Sunday18		Return-to-retail and 15 province-wide depots	Retained by distributor/ bottler	Manufacturer to pay the following amounts, upon delivery of returned products, to depots: Soft drinks: <500mL: 5¢ >500mL: 10¢	About 65% of population have access to curbside recycling	Updated in 2008
Québec	All beer and soft drinks	Refillable beer: 98% Aluminum soft drink cans: 77% Domestic beer cans: 76% Glass soft drink and one-way beer bottles: 76% PET soft drinks: 75% OVERALL: 75.8%	Soft drinks and beer cans: 5¢ Beer bottles: 10¢ Beer and soft drinks>450ml: 20¢		Return-to-retail	Retained by distributor/ bottler	2 cents for non-refillables	About 70% of households have access to curbside recycling
Saskatchewan	All beverage containers except milk (milk is under a voluntary recovery program through depots)	Domestic beer cans: 95.2% Aluminum cans: 94.8% Bi-metal: 94.8% Refillable beer: 91.9% PET: 86.5% Other plastic: 86.5% Glass: 83.3% Aseptic: 46.1% OVERALL: 85.6%	Aseptic: 5 ¢ , Polycoat: 5 ¢ , Metal cans<1 litre: 10 ¢ , metal cans>1 litre: 20 ¢ , plastic bottles <1 litre: 10 ¢ , plastic bottles>1 litre: 20 ¢ , non-refillable glass <300ml:$1, non-refillable glass: 300ml-1 litre: 20 ¢ , non-refillable glass>1 litre: 40 ¢	Environmental Handling Charge or "EHC" Aseptic: $.03 Polycoat: $.03 Metal cans: $.05 Plastic bottles: $.06 Non-refillable glass: $.07	71 not-for-profit SARCAN redemption depots	Retained by province and used to pay for the program through SARCAN annual operation contract fee. Surplus is placed in provincial general revenues and helps fund extended recycling programs	Aseptic & Polycoat: 3 ¢ Aluminum cans: 5¢ Plastic containers: 6¢ Glass containers: 7¢ Collectors of milk jugs and cartons are provided with a "guaranteed salvage price" of $400/tonne of baled plastic milk jugs and $150/tonne of baled milk cartons	A few communities have individual recovery programs.
Yukon Territory	All beverage containers except milk	Non-refillable Bottle (beer, cider and coolers): 113.5% Refillable Bottles: 103.5% Liquor Containers>200ml: 99.3% 1-litre: 89.6% <1 litre: 78.5%, > OVERALL: 84.9% (includes refillable bottles)	See detailed description below.	Return-to-depot	Retained by the Government (Territory)	See table	Voluntary depot drop-off for other recyclables available at bottle depots.
Nunavut	Nunavut is yet to develop any sort of program.

Containers with deposits

Redemption Rate
(either recycled or refilled)

Amount of Deposit

Fees or taxes

Reclamation System

Unredeemed Deposits

Handling Fees

Complementary Recycling Programs

History

Alberta

All beverage containers except milk1 (milk is under a voluntary recovery program through depots)

2007 return rates:
Glass (Refillable Beer): 94.0%
Glass (One-way Beer): 91.7%
Aluminum (Beer): 86.8%
Aluminum (Soft drink): 75.3%
Glass: 76.8%
Plastic: 66.1%
Bi-Metal: 57.7%
Polycoat: 56.9%
OVERALL: 76.0%2

<1 litres: 5¢
>1 litres: 20¢
beer: 10¢3

None

212 permitted province-wide depots.
Beer containers are collected through licencees, liquor stores and beer stores.

Retained by distributor/bottler

<500ml: 3¢t
>500ml: 5¢
liquor containers: 5¢t
imported beer: 3.55¢

65% of the population have access to multi-material curbside and/or depot programs.

British Columbia

All beverage containers except milk, milk substitutes, rice milk, soya milk, flavoured milk, infant formulas, meal replacements or dietary supplement

Non-Alcoholic:
Aluminum: 81%
Plastic: 72%
Glass: 69%
Polycoat: 54.5%
Pouches: 47.4%
Other: 59.2%
OVERALL: 73%4

≤1L Non-Alcoholic, 5¢
≤1L Alcoholic, 10¢
>1L, 20¢5

Recycling Fees on non-alcoholic:
PET <1L: 1¢
PET >1L: 4¢
HDPE/PVC <1L: 1¢
HDPE/PVC >1L: 4¢
Glass <1L: 4¢
Glass >1L: 5¢
Drink boxes 501mL-1L: 4¢
Poly cup: 1¢6

349 major grocery stores for return-to-retail stores, and 169 province-wide depots

Retained by distributor/bottler for non-alcohol & domestic beer. Retained by vendor for other alcohol

Al cans, bi-metal<1L, pouches, tetra pak/gable top<500ml: 3¢
Plastic<1L: 4¢
Bi-metal>1L, tetra pak/gable top>501ml, glass: 5¢
Plastic>1L: 7¢

About 80% of the population have access to multi-material curbside and/or depots programs.

Manitoba

Beer containers only (all other beverage containers are collected through the blue box)

Refillable beer: 95.5%
Domestic beer cans: 74.4%
PET: 37%
Glass: 34%
Aluminum cans: 31%
Gable top/Aseptic: 26%
Steel: 26%
HDPE: 23%
OVERALL RESIDENTIAL: 31% (via blue box)

Beer: 10¢

Return-to-retail for beer only

Retained by beer distributor/bottler

None

About 71% of the population has access to multi-material curbside recycling. About 15% can access drop-off depots.

New Brunswick

All beverage containers except milk

Refillable beer: 95.9%
Aluminum: 77%
PET: 76%
Domestic beer cans: 75%
Glass: 69%
Other 73%
NON-ALCOHOL - OVERALL: 75%
ALCOHOL - OVERALL: 74%

<500ml: 10¢
>500ml: 20¢

Half-back system: half of the deposit is returned when containers are redeemed

89 province-wide depots

Retained by distributor/bottler

3.2¢
refillable beer: 2.2¢

About 30% of the population have access to multi-material curbside recycling and 40% have access to depots.

Newfoundland

All beverage containers except milk , fountain cups, or those with a greater than 5L capacity7

Refillable beer: 95%
Domestic beer cans: 54.6%
OVERALL: 68%8

Non alcoholic: 8¢
Alcoholic: 20¢9

Like a half-back system:
3¢ is kept on the non-alcoholic bottles, a dime on the alcoholic.10

37 province-wide depots and 50 satellite depots

Retained by government organization ( Multi-Materials Stewardship Board ) and used to offset costs. Surplus is placed in provincial trust fund.

A few communities have individual recovery programs.

Nova Scotia

All beverage containers except milk

Refillable beer: 96.1%
Domestic beer cans: 69.5%
OVERALL: 84% (Includes alcohol and non-alcohol)

Non-liquor: 10 ¢;
Liquor:
Refillable <1L: 10 ¢
Refillable >1L: 20 ¢
Non-refillabler <500mL: 10 ¢
Non-refillable >500mL: 20 ¢11

Half-back system: half of the deposit is returned when containers are redeemed

83 province-wide depots12

Retained by government organization (RRFB) and used to offset costs. Surplus is used for municipal curbside and depot programs.

2.75¢ /unit

92% of population have access to multi-material curbside recycling. 50% have access to curbside organic collection. 100% have access to depots.

Northwest Territories

Bottle, can, plastic cup or paperboard carton or a package made of metal, plastic, paper, glass or other material, or a combination of them, that contains or contained a beverage that is ready for consumption; not milk19

Program new.
Since beginning in November 2005, by March 15 2006 over 6 million containers had been returned.20

Original estimates were that 25 million containers were disposed of every year. Some basic number crunching shows an approximate 72% recovery rate. (6x3 / 25)

See detailed table below.

Return to one of 18 government depots;21
Now also 26 community depots22

Retained by NWT

See table.

Depots serve about 80% of the population.23

Ontario

Beer

Refillable beer, “Industry Standard Bottle”, LCBO and The Beer Store: 97%;
Aluminum Beer Cans: 67%13
Aluminum 38.2%
OVERALL RESIDENTIAL: 52.9% (via blue box);
14

Beer: 10¢

Return to Beer Store only, LCBO does not take empties.

Retained by beer distributor/ bottler

Ontario's Waste Diversion Act requires all companies that introduce packaging and printed paper into Ontario’s consumer marketplace to share in paying 50% of the funding of Ontario's municipal Blue Box programs.15

97% of households and 60% of apartment buildings have access to curbside recycling.

Prince Edward Island

Soft drinks/ alcoholic beverages

Wine may be subject16

Refillable beer: 96.4%
Wine/liquor - OVERALL: 59%
Soft drinks - OVERALL : 98%

Non-alcoholic:
<500mL: 15¢
500mL-1L: 30¢
>1L: 70¢

Alcoholic:
$1.20/dozen
or 7¢ each17

Except on Sunday18

Return-to-retail and 15 province-wide depots

Retained by distributor/ bottler

Manufacturer to pay the following amounts, upon delivery of returned products, to depots:

Soft drinks:
<500mL: 5¢
>500mL: 10¢

About 65% of population have access to curbside recycling

Updated in 2008

Québec

All beer and soft drinks

Refillable beer: 98%
Aluminum soft drink cans: 77%
Domestic beer cans: 76%
Glass soft drink and one-way beer bottles: 76%
PET soft drinks: 75%
OVERALL: 75.8%

Soft drinks and beer cans: 5¢
Beer bottles: 10¢
Beer and soft drinks>450ml: 20¢

Return-to-retail

Retained by distributor/ bottler

2 cents for non-refillables

About 70% of households have access to curbside recycling

Saskatchewan

All beverage containers except milk (milk is under a voluntary recovery program through depots)

Domestic beer cans: 95.2%
Aluminum cans: 94.8%
Bi-metal: 94.8%
Refillable beer: 91.9%
PET: 86.5%
Other plastic: 86.5%
Glass: 83.3%
Aseptic: 46.1%
OVERALL: 85.6%

Aseptic: 5 ¢ ,
Polycoat: 5 ¢ ,
Metal cans<1 litre: 10 ¢ ,
metal cans>1 litre: 20 ¢ ,
plastic bottles <1 litre: 10 ¢ , plastic bottles>1 litre: 20 ¢ ,
non-refillable glass <300ml:$1,
non-refillable glass: 300ml-1 litre: 20 ¢ ,
non-refillable glass>1 litre: 40 ¢

Environmental Handling Charge or "EHC"
Aseptic: $.03
Polycoat: $.03
Metal cans: $.05
Plastic bottles: $.06
Non-refillable glass: $.07

71 not-for-profit SARCAN redemption depots

Retained by province and used to pay for the program through SARCAN annual operation contract fee. Surplus is placed in provincial general revenues and helps fund extended recycling programs

Aseptic & Polycoat: 3 ¢
Aluminum cans: 5¢
Plastic containers: 6¢
Glass containers: 7¢
Collectors of milk jugs and cartons are provided with a "guaranteed salvage price" of $400/tonne of baled plastic milk jugs and $150/tonne of baled milk cartons

A few communities have individual recovery programs.

Yukon Territory

All beverage containers except milk

Non-refillable Bottle (beer, cider and coolers): 113.5%
Refillable Bottles: 103.5%
Liquor Containers>200ml: 99.3%
1-litre: 89.6%
<1 litre: 78.5%, > OVERALL: 84.9%
(includes refillable bottles)

See detailed description below.

Return-to-depot

Retained by the Government (Territory)

See table

Voluntary depot drop-off for other recyclables available at bottle depots.

Nunavut

Nunavut is yet to develop any sort of program.

Footnotes

1Beverage Container Recycling Regulation, Alta. Reg. 101/1997, ss. 3(2).

2 BCMB 2007 Annual Report

3 Beverage Container Recycling Regulation, Alta. Reg. 101/1997, para. 10(1)(b).

4 Encorp 2005 Annual Report, http://www.encorp.ca/temp/20068957567/2005AnnualReport.pdf, at 3.

5 Recycling Regulation, B.C. Reg. 449/2004, Table 1.

6 http://www.encorp.ca/cfm/index.cfm?It=907&Id=7

7 Waste Management Regulations, 2003, N.L.R. 59/03, s. 12

8 http://www.mmsb.nf.ca/programspage.htm

9 Waste Management Regulations, 2003, N.L.R. 59/03, s. 14.

10 Waste Management Regulations, 2003, N.L.R. 59/03, s. 18.

11 Solid Waste-Resource Management Regulations, N.S. Reg. 25/96, s. 15 as am. by: O.I.C. 2000-287, N.S. Reg. 100/2000.

12 http://www.rrfb.com/pages/programs/beverageOverview.cfm

13 The Beer Store, 2005 Annual Report, in Waste Diversion Ontario, 2005 Annual Report, http://www.wdo.ca/viewfile.aspx?id=139876 at 38.

14 Waste Diversion Ontario, 2005 Annual Report, http://www.wdo.ca/viewfile.aspx?id=139876 at 110. Reporting on CY2003. The report includes a note that, “ Blue Box materials are also recovered through recycling channels other than municipal Blue Box programs. Province-wide recovery rates for materials (e.g. aluminum) will be higher than reported here.”

15 See S.O. 2002, c. 6; specially subsection 25(2).

16 Litter Control Regulations, P.E.I. Reg. EC697/91, ss. 6(2).

17 Litter Control Regulations, P.E.I. Reg. EC697/91, s. 3.

18 Litter Control Regulations, P.E.I. Reg. EC697/91, ss. 5(a).

19 Beverage Container Regulations, N.W.T. Reg. 067-2005, s. 1

20 http://www.canadianenvironmental.com/bin/cf_external_frameset.cfm?new_url=http://www.exec.gov.nt.ca/currentnews/prDetails.asp?varPR_ID=859

21 www.enr.gov.nt.ca/eps/pdf/beverage_regulations_plain.pdf at 9.

22 http://www.canadianenvironmental.com/articles/pages.cfm?directory=45

23 http://www.canadianenvironmental.com/bin/cf_external_frameset.cfm?new_url=http://www.exec.gov.nt.ca/currentnews/prDetails.asp?varPR_ID=789