2020 Annual Report
We are pleased to share our 2020 Annual Report and key accomplishments. Every year, we publish an annual report as a point of accountability for our stewardship targets and expectations. The Encorp Stewardship Plan includes all ready-to-drink beverage containers sold in British Columbia as identified under Schedule 1 of the Recycling Regulation such as aluminum cans, plastic, glass, bi-metal, drink boxes, gable tops, bag-in-a-box, stand-up pouches as well as refillable bottles on behalf of appointed producers.. Our 2020 Annual Report is now available to view on our website here.
Here is a brief summary of what we accomplished in 2020:
Recovery Rate:
Our 2020 recovery rate was 76.2%, 1.2% above the regulated requirement of 75%. Over 1 billion containers were collected!
The regional breakdown of the per capita recovery can be found in section 6.3 of the 2020 Annual Report.
Collection System, Facilities & Consumer access:
With a collection network of 168 Return-It Depots, 5 Express & GO stations and 1 Express Plus location, in 2020, 98.57% of B.C.’s population has access to a beverage container return facility.
Consumer Awareness:
Consumer awareness campaigns with strategic action plans and activities resulted in a net consumer awareness level of 99%.
Consumer Convenience:
Ease and convenience continue to be the biggest barriers to getting consumers to recycle their beverage containers; the Return-It Express program addresses both. Customers simply set up an online account at express.return-it.ca, place their empty beverage containers into transparent bags and take them to a Return-It Express depot. Once there, using the touch-screen terminal provided, customers enter their account number to log in, print off labels to attach to their bags, and drop off the bags in designated areas. The empty containers are then sorted and counted by the depot and credited to each customer’s online Express account. Customers can sign in and redeem their deposit refunds anytime via Interac e-Transfer or mailed cheque.
2020 was, without a doubt, a year to promote Return-It Express, as it supports physical distancing by limiting interaction, making it the ideal option for returns during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, over 80,000 new users registered, excited to try out the Express system for the first time.
Environmental Impact Reduction:
Encorp’s activities in 2020 contributed to the reduction of about 105.5 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent being released into the atmosphere.
Annual reports from previous years are publicly available online as an interactive webpage or PDF download at https://www.return-it.ca/about/annualreports/