Your container’s journey

More than one billion single-use soft drink containers are sold every year in Quebec. Thanks to the deposit system and other efforts, bottlers recuperate about two-thirds of them.

In Quebec, a consumer buying a soft drink in a container subject to a deposit will automatically pay a 5¢ deposit to the retailer. This deposit is refunded when the empty container is returned. Obviously, if the empty container is not returned, the deposit is lost.

AT THE STORE

  1. The bottler sells his container to the retailer and collects a deposit of $0.05.
  2. The retailer sells his container to the consumer and collects a deposit of $0.05.
  3. The consumer returns the container to the retailer and receives a refund of $ 0.05.
  4. The bottler picks up the empty containers and reimburses the retailer the $0.05, plus pays a commission of $0.02

AT THE PROCESSING PLANT

  1. The bottler transports the empty containers to the processor.
  2. The processor sorts containers by material.
  3. The containers are transported to aluminum, plastic or glass recyclers.

RECYCLERS

  1. Aluminum smelter for manufacturing aluminum ingots or coils
  2. Glass Recycling Plant
  3. Plastic Recycling Plant
objets

New cans, bottles and other items

The participants

BGE certified recyclers

Retailers

Certified conditioners

Boissons Gazeuses Environnement

Manufacturers of automated recovery machines