Tightening of the deposit-return system approach in Canada

The environment minister of the Canadian province of Quebec has announced that he wants to increase the existing deposit on cans and bottles to 10 cents and is seriously considering introducing a deposit on water bottles as well. Quebec already has a deposit on small soft drink bottles. The expansion of the deposit system involves nearly a billion bottles a year. That is one and a half times as many bottles as all Dutch deposit bottles for soft drinks and water combined. Quebec, which with 8 million inhabitants is not even half the size of the Netherlands, is thus going to ensure much more and better recycling of all types of beverage packaging.

The Canadian environmental measures are welcomed by Recycling Netwerk, which advocates for a more far-reaching deposit approach in the Netherlands on behalf of environmental organisations such as Milieudefensie, Greenpeace and Natuur & Milieu. These kinds of international developments are seen as great support for the "A Real Hero Chooses Deposits" (“Een Echte Held kiest Statiegeld”) campaign, which they set up in cooperation with municipalities and waste management companies. Chairman Robbert van Duin of Recycling Netwerk: “The deposit approach in Quebec is thereby reaching a very high level and will ensure that most beverage packaging is recycled really well: with maximum environmental benefit and at relatively low costs.”

Expanding the deposit system to include water bottles in Quebec would increase material yields and also the revenues from uncollected deposits used to pay supermarket stores a fee of 2 cents per collected deposit bottle or can. However, the supermarket sector is not yet entirely happy with the expansion, especially as in other provinces the fee is often higher.