Beverage Products

Deposits, Fees, & Container Types

Learn about which containers can be returned and recycling fees.
Container Recycling Fees effective as of February 1, 2024.

Deposit Values Deposits are charged when beverage containers are purchased in British Columbia. They are returned in full when you bring back the empty containers for recycling.

These deposits are set through government legislation. See the BC Government's page on Beverage Container Regulation.

Container Recycling Fee (CRF) At the time of purchase, Encorp charges a variable fee that covers the net cost of recycling that container.

Return-It is not paid for by tax dollars, nor is it funded by the government. It's paid for by all of us – consumers, retailers, beverage manufacturers, and Encorp.

The Container Recycling Fee (CRF) is the fee Encorp charges to cover the net cost of recycling a beverage container type after any unredeemed deposits and commodity revenues for that container type have been used. The CRF varies for each beverage container category. As a not-for-profit, product stewardship agency, Encorp Pacific only charges the net cost for recovering and recycling beverage containers. The CRF reflects the current economic conditions of the drop in commodity prices and beverage volumes.

Leave the caps on your containers When returning your beverage containers, leave the caps on to ensure small plastic pieces are recycled.

Beverage containers with or without caps are accepted at Return-It sites, but whenever you can, leave the caps on or put them in your Express bag to ensure small plastic pieces are recycled.

Aluminum alcohol containers and pricing Alcohol beverage containers registered with Encorp Pacific's Return-It system are guaranteed to receive a full deposit refund at all locations.

To understand which beverage containers are managed by Encorp Pacific, please see our Registered Brands Database.

Refillable beer bottles and some aluminum alcohol containers are not managed by Encorp Pacific and are the responsibility of BC Brewers Recycled Container Council (BRCCC) and are covered under BRCCC’s Stewardship Plan.

Return-It sites that are not licensed by BRCCC may still accept these containers, but you may only receive a partial deposit refund. Please check with each Return-It site to understand what BRCCC materials and products are accepted there and the refund you can expect to receive.

Returning additional recyclables Find out where to recycle products other than beverage containers and electronics.

Shared information about all of British Columbia's stewardship agencies may be found at at BCrecycles.ca. Alternatively, download our BC Recyclepedia Smart Phone App for IPhone and Android.