November 4, 2009
Milk jugs responsible for better returns at bottle depots
Edson and area residents, along with other Albertans, are stepping up beverage container recycling efforts.
Overall provincial residents have increased beverage container return rates to 81 per cent — a five per cent increase from last year. This pleases Beverage Container Management Board managing director John Bachinski.
"A lot of depots have experienced an increase of seven to ten per cent in volume."
Bachinski credits the increase, in part, to the provincial government's decision five months ago to accept milk containers into the revenue stream. There is another factor. Recyclers are spending less time spent in line due to changes in sorting and classification of containers, he said.
"It used to be that a pop can and a beer can had to be counted separately. Now all aluminum cans are counted together. People should find the depot experience much faster."
Bachinski said he would like to see the return rate increase to 85 per cent.
Edson Beerland Bottle Depot owner Dieter Montanus said, with milk jugs and smaller milk containers now included in the deposit stream, business has increased at the depot. He said other beverage containers that would have previously been tossed into bins at the recycling depot are now coming into Beerland.
"Some other container types that [previously] came in smaller quantities have increased as well."
Other container types include bag in a box and juice pouches, plastic jugs, poly cups and bottles and metal cans.
Montanus said all this is good for the environment.
"I see what they're taking back now and I can imagine how much ended up in the landfill before that."
There is a 10-cent refund for each container one litre and under and a 25-cent refund for containers over one litre. Smaller containers earn a two-cent return.
Bachinski said one other change occurred this past weekend as dairies stopped placing special red printing on the top of milk containers as of Nov. 1. The printing indicated that the container was eligible for a refund at the bottle depot.
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