Recycling deposit on some cans and bottles in B.C. doubles to 10 cents

The value of deposits on non-alcoholic beverage containers in B.C. has doubled.

According to Return-It, cans, bottles and other containers up to 1 litre in size containing soft drinks, juice, water, energy and sport drinks will now come with a 10-cent deposit as of Nov. 1.

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The deposit on containers larger than 1 litre remains unchanged at 20 cents.

Allen Langdon, president and CEO of Return-It, the company that manages the recycling of beverage containers in B.C., said the increase will “provide additional incentive for consumers to return their beverage containers.”

“B.C. is already a leader when it comes to protecting our environment and being at the forefront of industry product stewardship,” he said. “The increase we are announcing today is an important step forward to optimize our system and increase recovery rates.”

Return-It says it had a 77.4 per cent recovery rate last year and hopes doubling the value of deposits will lead to even fewer cans and bottles ending up in landfills and oceans.

More information about the deposit increase can be found on the Return-It website.