Plastic bottles/Shutterstock
Your empties just are about to get a little more valuable in B.C..
Return-It has announced there will be a 10-cent deposit (applied when you purchase beverages at retailers) 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 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,” said Alison Wood, co-founder of Ocean Ambassadors Canada in a news release. “We welcome this direction by Return-It. It demonstrates their leadership and commitment to recycling and protecting our environment.”
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 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 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,” Allen Langdon, President & CEO of Return-It adds in the release. “B.C. is already a leader when it comes to protecting our environment and being at the forefront of industry product stewardship. The increase we are announcing today is an important step forward to optimize our system and increase recovery rates.”
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 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.
