MILK AND PLANT-BASED BEVERAGES ARE PART OF THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM!

As of February 1st, 2022 there is a 10-cent deposit charged on “ready-to-drink” milk and plant-based beverages like oat, soy, and almond. The 10-cent deposit will be refunded when the empty containers are returned for recycling at your nearest Island Return It.

Before returning your empty milk and plant-based beverage containers,
– remember to rinse them out to avoid mold and smell
– put the caps on, or push the straws in.

Then take them to your nearest Island Return It locations along with the rest of your empty beverage containers.

The products below are not REFUNDABLE but are recyclable:

  • Kefir
  • Yogourt
  • Whipped Cream
  • Avalon Glass Bottles
  • Meal Replacement
  • Infant Formula

FAQS

This is a result of a Government of B.C. Recycling Regulation change, implemented through the CleanBC Plastic Action Plan. As an industry-owned not-for-profit stewardship agency, we are responsible for managing B.C.’s Return-It beverage container system.
Return-It collection sites will accept all “ready-to-drink” milk and plant-based beverage containers of various sizes, purchased on February 1, 2022 or later. Containers that are NOT included in the program are those not meant primarily as “ready-to-drink”, such as infant formula, meal replacement or dietary supplements, coffee cream and other coffee additives, whipping cream, buttermilk, drinkable yogurt and kefir.

As defined in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Regulation, modified milk products or milk products that are not normally considered beverages, such as meal replacement beverages, coffee additives, whipping cream, and drinkable yogurt, are not eligible for a 10-cent deposit refund.

While these containers are not eligible for a deposit, they can still be returned to a Return-It collection site for recycling.

Effective February 1st, 2022, a 10-cent deposit will be charged on all “ready-to-drink” milk and plant-based beverage containers regardless of the size, and the 10-cent deposit will be refunded when you return the empty containers for recycling.
This is a result of a Government of B.C. regulation change, implemented through the CleanBC Plastic Action Plan.
Consumers can still place their milk and plant-based beverage containers into their residential and curbside (blue box) recycling bin, but they will not be eligible for the 10-cent deposit refund paid at the time of purchase.
It’s best that the containers are not crushed or flattened. Depots look at the label, barcode and other identifying marks to establish that they were purchased in B.C. this ensures us that the deposit was paid and can be refunded. If the containers are crushed or flattened, they may not be able to verify the container and will not be able to provide a refund of the deposit.
Deposits are charged when a beverage container is purchased. They are returned in full when you bring back the empty container for recycling. These deposits are set through government legislation. See the B.C. Government’s page on Beverage Container Regulation
The Container Recycling Fee (CRF) is the fee Return-It charges to cover the net cost of recycling a beverage container. CRFs have been in place for beverage containers in British Columbia for more than 18 years. The CRF varies for each beverage container category. As a not-for-profit, product stewardship agency, we only charge the net cost for recovering and recycling beverage containers after any unredeemed deposits and commodity revenues for that container type have been used.