There’s a ‘cash cow’ sitting in your fridge.
Next month, British Columbians can head to their local Return-It collection site to recycle even more material for a 10-cent deposit refund.
Clean and empty ready-to-drink milk and plant-based beverage containers, such as oat, almond, and soy, will be included in the deposit system starting Feb. 1, 2022.
According to Return-It, the change comes thanks to the Government of BC’s CleanBC Plastic Action Plan. It’s in an effort to keep more plastics out of landfills, oceans and waterways.
“BC continues to lead the way in protecting the environment and extended producer responsibility performance in Canada,” said Return-It CEO Allen Langdon.
“But we can’t do this alone – we encourage everyone to participate by returning their empty beverage containers for recycling. In BC, we are fortunate to have many ways to return beverage containers for recycling and divert them from our natural environment.”
Only clean containers will be accepted, with milk or plant-based beverage containers put in residential and curbside blue box recycling bins not eligible for a deposit refund, Return-It adds.
Milk products that are generally not considered beverages, such as meal replacement beverages, coffee additives, whipping cream, and drinkable yogurt, won’t be accepted either.
Return-It has numerous locations across Vancouver Island, including in Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox, Nanaimo, and Duncan, with two depots on the North Island in Port Hardy and Port McNeill.