October 22, 2008
Alberta to hike bottle deposits
Changes may also include milk containers
The Alberta government is expected to outline today a major revamp of the province's beverage container recycling program through a hike in the refundable deposit amounts on bottles and cans, and bringing milk containers into the system.
To counteract a decline, and push Albertans to recycle more of their empties, beverage containers larger than one litre will go to 25 cents from the current 20 cents.
Aluminum pop cans, now worth five cents each at the bottle depot, will go to 10 cents to put them in line with their beer-brand counterparts.
Other containers less than or equal to a litre will also go to 10 cents from their current five.
CREDIT: Ted Rhodes, Calgary HeraldCharanjit (Joe) Johal, owner of Chinook Bottle Depot, hopes the hike in bottle deposits will help increase recycling.
Further details will be rolled out in an announcement from Alberta Environment parliamentary assistant Diana McQueen in Edmonton this morning, but all the changes are expected to take effect in the coming months.
The announcement follows a report from a legislature committee released almost a year ago that recommended numerous changes to the province's beverage container recycling program.
Those pushing for more of Alberta's waste to be recycled applauded the prospect of change.
"The rates have not been keeping up with the real world," said Liberal MLA David Swann, who sat as deputy chairman of the legislature committee.
Christina Seidel, executive director of the not-for-profit Recycling Council of Alberta, said the province will have the most comprehensive deposit-driven milk container recycling program in North America if the government moves to include all milk containers.
The initiative is intended to increase milk container recycling and reduce confusion about what can and can't be returned to bottle depots.
"Nothing performs like a deposit," Seidel said Tuesday.
Although the increase in the deposit rates may mean slightly higher prices at the grocery or liquor store, Seidel said, "the only way you would ever lose money is if you chose not to recycle. In that case, you deserve to lose money."
Seidel said one benefit is charities holding bottle drives will increase their take. "Homeless people make a lot of money off bottles. They're going to make a lot more now," he added.
Bottle depot owners said they were excited about upcoming changes.
"It's going to be good for recycling," said Charanjit Johal, who owns bottle depots in Inglewood, Chinook and Airdrie.
Johal said he is still facing other challenges in expanding his business, such as getting permission from the city to open a new bottle depot in Saddle Ridge. But people often don't want bottle depots in their neighbourhoods, he said.
Kam Khamba, owner of South Pointe Bottle Depot, said he is glad to see the government increasing the refund on pop cans to 10 cents, the same amount as beer cans. He said the difference has meant time-consuming separating work for employees, as well as customer confusion.
"The customers' waiting time will be less," Khamba said, noting he hopes commission to bottle depots also goes up so he can pay for salary and rent hikes.
Last year, the Alberta government voiced its concerns about beverage container return rates dropping even as Alberta's economy boomed. The legislature committee report issued last November said seven years ago, Alberta's return rate stood at 79.5 per cent. By 2006, it had dipped to 74.16 per cent.
However, the committee heard from some people opposed to any changes. One witness told the committee the bottle recycling system could face an unfunded liability of millions of dollars because some deposits would be refunded at higher levels than what was originally paid.
Justin Sherwood, president of Refreshments Canada, which represents the Canadian beverage industry, said his organization believes there are better ways than hiking deposit values to increase the return rates. He said the system needs to be more convenient and accessible to consumers.
"Where are the containers that aren't getting to the recycling depots?" Sherwood said.
Smaller municipalities have also expressed concerns about putting a refundable deposit on milk containers.
Richard Ellis, general manager of the Vulcan district waste commission, said the community has been able to cover the cost of its plastics recycling program by delivering milk containers to the Alberta Dairy Council, which has paid a guaranteed return.
"They should have stayed with that," Ellis said Tuesday.
Ellis said if the government wants to increase milk container recycling, there's a major drawback to contend with. "There's a real odour to them," Ellis said Tuesday. "It's going to be terrible in the bottle depots."
kcryderman@theherald.canwest.com
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Bottle Refund Rates
- Beverage containers larger than one litre will go to 25 cents from the current 20 cents.
- Aluminum pop cans, now worth five cents, will go to 10 cents to put them in line with their beer-brand counterparts.
- Other containers less than or equal to a litre will also go to 10 cents from their current five.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=ce761535-293c-445c-bb61-2bcdbb851322&p=2
