| Name |
REGULATION 99-66 under the Beverage Containers Act (O.C. 99-672)
|
| Date Implemented | 6/1/1992; updated 5/13/2011 |
| Administering agency | Encorp Atlantic (non-alcoholic beverages) and alcohol distributors (alcoholic beverages) |
| Beverages Covered | All beverages except milk, milk products, and unpasteurized cider |
| Containers Covered | All beverage containers 5L and under |
| Amount of Deposit |
Non-alcoholic beverages: 10¢ CAD / 5¢ CAD* *Consumers receive only half of their deposit back when they return non-refillable containers (see "Other Fees" section) Refillable beer containers: 10¢ CAD |
| Reclamation System | Return to licensed redemption centers |
| Handling Fee |
Beer containers: $0.03120 Non-beer containers: $0.04368 [1] |
| Other Fees | Half-back system: only half of the deposit is returned when non-refillable containers are redeemed. Half of the kept value is used to pay for program costs, and the other half of the kept value is used for "environmental fees". |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Returned to the Environmental Trust Fund along with the non-refunded half of the deposit to run environmental programs |
| Program Success |
2019-2020 Container collection rates [2]: 2016 Container collection rates [3]: * some cartons are reported as sold under other categories, so the denominator for gable/Tetra Pak containers is lower than it should be. As such, the denominator for other categories may be too high. |
Details
As of February 2008, approximately 86% of New Brunswick residents have access to recycling programs within their community. Approximately 30% of New Brunswick's population have access to multi-material curbside recycling; 55% have access to some form of curbside recycling programs; and 10 out of the 12 Solid Waste Commissions in New Brunswick use the depot system along with other programs. A list of these redemption depots may be found here (last updated in January 2018).
The Beverage Containers Act regulates the deposit-refund system in New Brunswick. This system was the original model in Canada for the "half-back depot" approach. Deposits are paid on all beverage containers, and while there is a full refund on refillable containers, only half is refunded to the consumer for non-refillable containers. Under the Act, distributors must register with the Department of Environment and submit a "stewardship plan" or select an agent that has submitted an acceptable stewardship plan.
Soft drinks
Encorp Atlantic, a grocer/soft drink consortium, was set up to act as the Agent for the bottlers of all non-alcoholic beverages. Encorp is responsible for reimbursing deposits and collecting, processing and marketing the scrap materials. Redemption Centres remit their deposits to Encorp and are reimbursed for the refunds. All unredeemed deposits and scrap revenues are shared between Encorp for the management of the system and the Environmental Trust Fund of New Brunswick. Encorp also uses these monies for education and awareness campaigns about recycling and reuse. Redemption Centers are run by small, independent operators, with some municipalities running them as well. Government involvement is limited to licensing the Redemption Centres and some oversight of the system.
Section 18 of the Beverage Containers Act provides that distributors shall remit the amount of non-refunded deposit to the Province. The Province then uses that money, “the environmental fee,” to pay for environmentally beneficial projects. As of December 2020, there are 78 Redemption Centers (Enviro Depots) operating in New Brunswick. [3]
Beer system
Beer and liquor are sold exclusively in the Alcool New Brunswick Liquor (ANBL) liquor stores and are included in the Beverage Container Act. Liquor stores do not accept returns so all beer and liquor bottles flow into the Redemption Centre system. Prior to the creation of the half-back system there were already a number of bottle dealers who refunded beer bottle deposits. They have since become licensed Redemption Centre operators. Redemption Centers are licensed by the Department of Environment. The licensed Redemption Centers receive a handling fee for each bottle handled for the Brewers. The Brewers are responsible for freight costs incurred when picking up empties from the Redemption Centers.
The beer system used to be exclusively managed and administered by ANBL; however, starting April 2022, responsibility for recycling alcoholic containers was transferred to alcohol distributors, in line with extended producer responsibility goals set by the province. [4]
Footnotes
[1] "Beverage Container Handling Fees." New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government. Effective April 2017.
[2] "Global Deposit Book 2020: An Overview of Deposit Systems for One-Way Beverage Containers." Reloop Inc. December 15, 2020.
[3]"Who Pays What? An Analysis of Beverage Container Collection and Costs in Canada, 2018." CM Consulting, October 2018.
[4] "Beverage Containers Program to get in step with modern waste management trends." New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government. November 03, 2021.
Last Updated on August 2, 2023.