Toward a modernized, environmentally responsible deposit-refund system for quebec
In January 2020, the Quebec government announced its intention to modernize the deposit-refund system and expand it to include more types of beverage container.
Objectives
Recover and recycle larger numbers of redeemable beverage containers and find ways to improve recovery and reclamation of materials, with a view to reducing our ecological footprint.
Deposit-refund:
Taking action to protect the environment
The deposit-refund system for beverage containers is a true action to protect the environment. Sorting containers by material ensures optimum recovery. This way, the materials (aluminum, plastic and glass) are processed and recycled in a closed-loop system reserved for redeemable containers that has proven its worth for nearly 40 years.
Deposit-refund ensures better performance than any other materials-recovery method, since all recovered beverage containers are 100% recycled. When people return containers, they are also helping to reduce the impacts of climate change by lessening reliance on raw materials extraction to manufacture new containers.
Implementation phases
In June 2022, the government issued a regulation to officially undertake the modernization of the system of deposit-refund Quebecers. Due to the volume of beverage containers affected by the expansion and the structural changes this requires across Quebec, the implementation is being rolled out gradually.
November 1, 2023
- There deposit-refund is extended to ALL aluminum beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 l, now including ready-to-drink beverage cans, whether fruit juices, sparkling waters, flavored waters, cocktails or small vegetable juices.
- All containers that were already redeemable remain redeemable.
- The amount of the deposit is standardized to 10 cents for all beverage containers, except for certain glass bottles of 500 mL and larger, which are already redeemable and for which the amount will be 25 cents.
March 1 , 2025
There deposit-refund is extended to ALL plastic ready-to-drink beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 l. This includes bottles of water, sparkling water, juice, but also any other beverage such as flavored water, spirits, etc.
March 1 , 2027
Extension of deposit-refund to ALL glass ready-to-drink beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 l, including bottles of wine, cider, spirits and other beverages, and to ALL multi-layer carton ready-to-drink beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 l.
