Starting March 1, buying drinks in Quebec will cost a little more, but you’ll be able to get that money back when you return the empty containers.
Next month, L’Association québécoise de récupération des contenants de boissons (AQRCB) is launching the second phase of its expanded deposit-refund system, which now includes a wider range of beverage containers.
Everything from wine and spirit bottles to water bottles, milk, and juice cartons — basically, anything between 100 ml and 2 litres — will have a refundable deposit.
Since November 1, 2023, the deposit on most beverage bottles has been 10 cents, including beer cans over 450 ml (which previously had a 20-cent deposit). The aim was to make deposit amounts more consistent across various types of containers.
Come March, nearly all beverage containers will be covered by the program. For most containers, the deposit is 10 cents, while glass bottles of 500 ml or more will have a 25-cent deposit. This means when you buy a bottle of wine or a pack of bottled water, you’ll pay a bit more upfront, but you can get that money back by returning the containers at one of the new drop-off points.
According to a press release from the AQRCB, the province has been gradually upgrading its deposit system since 2023, with a goal to double the number of containers returned and recycled. The target is to recover five billion beverage containers per year and raise the return rate to 90% by 2032. To make the process easier, more return locations have been added across the province, including Consignaction sites and automated machines at select retailers.
Although you’ll be paying a little extra for your drinks, getting your deposit back is simpler than ever. Rather than going to a grocery store, you can drop off your containers at various return points for cash refunds or use the Consignaction app for electronic transfers.
For more information on the second phase of the expanded deposit-refund system, you can visit the Consignaction website.
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