Expanding the deposit-refund system to include more beverage containers enhance recovery and facilitate reclamation. Basing the bottle deposit system on containers—not contents—will also reduce consumer confusion. Moreover, the deposit-refund system is an effective incentive that increases the container recovery rate for beverages consumed in both the home and public settings. The container recovery rate for returnable containers has stagnated for more than 10 years. Deposit amounts are insufficient to encourage individuals to return the containers, especially for ready-to-drink beverages consumed outside the home, the proportion of which is rising steadily. Increasing the deposit amount will spur the return of these containers and avoid having them end up in landfills or in the wild.
The reform will establish the preconditions for rethinking deposit-refund and selective collection in a logic of circularity. Modernization will enable conditions to be put in place to rethink the deposit-refund and selective collection systems in a logic of circularity. It will also help to transform the container value chain so that recovery and reclamation can be handled locally. At-source sorting of redeemable containers promotes the quality of residual materials, which in turn facilitates recycling and circularity, especially of glass. It then becomes easier to produce bottles and other products from used bottles. This measure will fight climate change by limiting shipping these types of residual materials and reducing the extraction of raw materials, thereby making recycled materials available for conversion in a closed, local loop.
The Regulation respecting the development, implementation and financial support of a deposit refund system for certain containers assigns responsibility for developing, implementing, and funding a modernized deposit-refund system to producers that sell, market or otherwise distribute all 100 milliliters to 2 liters ready-to-drink beverage containers, in accordance with the extended producer responsibility (EPR) approach. Management of the system is assigned to a management body designated by RECYC-QUÉBEC to represent the producers (DMB).
Amendments to the Regulation were introduced in August 2023, following a public consultation that ran from July 19 to August 3, 2023. The objectives of the amendments were as follows:
For more information on the August 2023 regulatory amendments, see the following:
Rollout of deposit-refund to 100 ml – 2 l ready-to-drink beverage containers (French, PDF, 138 KB)
All 100 milliliters to 2 liters ready-to-drink beverage containers used for wine, spirits and cider, juice and milk containers, and water bottles, will be gradually added to the list of currently covered beer and soft drink redeemable containers. This expansion will more than double the number of deposit-refund containers in the system by 2025, in two phases.
Deposit-refund modernization will also involve the following significant changes:
All containers used to market ready-to-drink beverages from 100 milliliters to 2 liters made of plastic, glass, metal, fibres (multi-layer containers), a combination of these materials, any other material or a combination of materials will be covered by the deposit, whether they are single- or multi-fill containers. The only exceptions are flexible plastic containers (bags) such as «vinier» and those added at point of sale (e.g. coffee cups). Rollout of the system for all containers will take place in the following two phases:
On October 24, 2022, RECYC-QUÉBEC (French) selected the Association québécoise de récupération des contenants de boissons (AQRCB) as the Designated Management Body (DMB) for the next five years, with a mandate to represent the target producers in respect of their obligation to develop, implement and fund a modernized system of selective collection.
By November 1, 2023, the DMB must implement a network of drop-off return sites comprising at least 1,200 locations in southern Québec. This number must rise to at least 1,500 locations by March 1, 2025. Additional drop-off sites in isolated or remote areas will be set up based on need. The number of drop-off sites shall not include bulk drop-off points. The network can be rounded out by a private recovery network for reusable containers such as brown beer bottles.
The network of drop-off points must also comply with criteria regarding the number of locations by population bracket and Regional County Municipality (RCM) or equivalent territory recovery capacity. Retailers that sell products in redeemable containers and whose stores have an area reserved for sales of more than 375 m2 (4,036 sq. ft.) must participate in the network, independently or in cooperation with other retailers, and comply with specific criteria. The drop-off sites may be located inside their stores or in a separate structure. In addition to retailer drop-off sites, others may be added to the network and reserved for this purpose whether or not they are retailer-managed. To facilitate consumer return of redeemable containers, all types of containers (including refillables) are accepted at all drop-off sites and handled in a way that enables reuse.
The Designated Management Body (DMB) must offer a redeemable container collection service to on-site consumption establishments such as restaurants, bars, and hotels, and to institutional food services. The service is rolled out it two phases, as follows:
Operational procedures must be discussed beforehand and formally agreed between the DMB and representatives of the on-site consumption establishments. The various types of establishments must also participate in the redeemable container collection service.
The DMB is not obliged to serve establishments with seating capacity of less than 20. They are, however, required to participate in the deposit-refund system by returning empty containers to the nearest return location, or request personalized collection, if such a service exists and has been approved in advance by the DMB.
The DMB and representatives of isolated or remote territories shall also together determine the operational procedures and financial arrangements covering the agreement to service these areas, bearing in mind each territory’s distinctive characteristics. The isolated or remote territories at issue are the MRC de Minganie, the MRC de Caniapiscau et du Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent, the James Bay region as described in the Schedule of the James Bay Region Development Act, and the territory of the Kativik Regional Government, as set out in section 2 (V) of the Act respecting Northern villages and the Kativik Regional Government, V-6.1
The DMB must achieve performance level outcomes that are subject to annual audit. If the DMB does not achieve the prescribed outcomes in any given year, it will be obliged to submit a remediation plan to the government and invest funds in an amount set by regulation to implement the measures stipulated in the plan in order to achieve the prescribed outcome rates.
The traceability of residual materials must be ensured up to their final destination so that they are considered in the calculation of the achieved performance rates, which will encourage the growth of local and neighbouring market solutions. Landfilled residual materials, residual materials subject to utilization for energy purposes or that undergo biological treatment cannot be calculated in the performance rate except if treatment occurs in remote or isolated territories.
Prescribed Outcomes–Deposit-Refund System
Type of container | Recovery | Reclamation1 | Local reclamation2 | Recycling3 | ||||||
2026 | 2028 | 2030 | 2032 | 2026 | 2028 | 2030 | 2032 | |||
Metal | 75% | 80% | 85% | + 5% every two years up to 90% |
75% | 80% | 85% | + 5% every two years up to 90% |
80% in 2026 | 50% in 2026 |
Plastic | 55% | 75% | 80% | 53% | 73% | 78% | 80% in 2026 | 50% in 2026 | ||
Glass and other breakables | 60% | 75% | 80% | 58% | 73% | 78% | 90% in 2026 | 50% in 2026 | ||
Multilayer (fibres) | - | 65% | 70% | - | 60% | 65% | 80% in 2027 | 50% in 2028 | ||
Bio-sourced | - | 75% | 80% | - | 73% | 78% | 80% in 2028 | 50% in 2026 | ||
Reusable glass and other breakable materials | 85% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% in 2026 | 50% in 2026 | ||
Reusable containers made of other materials | - | 75% | 80% | - | 90% | 90% | 80% in 2028 | 50% in 2026 | ||
Overall | 70% | 80% | 85% | 65% | 75% | 80% |
1 For reusable containers, the rate corresponds to the reclamation of spent containers previously reused at least 10 times, on average.
2 A maximum of 30% of the total weight of residual materials sent to a local reclamation site can be deemed reclaimed locally but in fact, processed elsewhere than in Québec for the purposes of achieving the overall local reclamation rate. Reclamation is deemed local if occurring in Québec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and in the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
3 Recycling is defined as the reclamation of residual materials for the manufacture of new containers, packaging, or printed matter in order to promote closed-loop circularity.