Canadian Province Adding Container Recycling Fee

The province of Alberta will begin imposing a “container recycling fee” for plastic and glass beverage containers. According to the sponsor of the program, the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corp., the fee is being based on the net cost to process and recycle beverage containers.

While plastic and glass bottles will have a fee attached to them, aluminum cans will not see any increased fee.

The goal of the recycling fee is to cover the difference between the costs of the beverage container recycling system and the money from unredeemed deposits. According to the ABCRC, the system needs around $15 million more a year than is generated from the two fund sources.

The program is slated to begin on Sept. 15 in the province. The container recycling fee is non-refundable, although deposits remain fully refundable. Additionally, the fee is similar to charges levied in both British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

However, critics of the policy say that the non-refundable fee is a tax. The fee is tacked on to the already deposit charge assessed to beverage containers. For larger plastic bottles and most glass bottles the cost will be seven cents a container; the charge will be two cents on smaller juice boxes and drink pouches.