Since the beginning of the pandemic, many consumers have been denied access to the deposit service that grocers and tow trucks normally provide, or have been unable to deposit their canned cans in salvage machines, commonly known as tumblers.

In the same vein, Recyc-Québec and Consignaction invited people to keep their containers stored at home and to postpone their trips to the drop-off points.

Why keep containers at home and not throw them away?

There are many reasons why you should temporarily keep your containers stored at home. The first motivation is environmental: returnable cans and bottles, which are returned to the merchant, are 100% recycled. By reusing the recovered materials, reducing the waste of energy and the polluting emissions associated with the extraction, transportation, processing and raw materials needed to manufacture new containers.

The benefits of the instruction are also economic. In a single year, nearly $100 million has been put back into the pockets of Quebeckers in the form of petty cash and put back into the economy. In addition, the money from the deposit allows to financially support several people in need as well as many socio-community organizations. Don’t know what to do with the returnable containers that clutter your cabinets? Give them to an organization in your community.

Moreover, the system for recovering and processing returnable containers provides employment for hundreds or even thousands of people in Quebec.

The delivery system has long proven its effectiveness. Every year, 1.35 billion soft drink containers are recovered through Consignaction and its partners across the province, which is huge. Imagine if that amount were to end up at the dump— The crisis we are currently experiencing is temporary, it is worth waiting and maintaining our good ecological habits», explains Normand Bisson, President of Boisson Gazeuse Environnement and Consignaction.