Important Notice for Mixed-Material Beverage Containers

Under the BC Recycling Regulation, beverage containers sold in British Columbia must be designed to be refillable or recyclable. While the individual components of many mixed-material containers may be recyclable on their own, these containers often present significant challenges for existing recycling systems.

Challenges with Mixed-Material Containers

Collection

• Mixed-material containers require separate collection and sorting from single-material containers.

• If they are not properly separated, they can contaminate existing recycling streams and reduce the quality of recovered materials, in some cases spoiling an entire load for recycling.

Recycling Processing

• Because these containers contain multiple material types, that typically require additional processing to separate the materials before recycling. Depending on the container design, this separation may need to be performed manually, increasing processing time and costs.

• In some cases, such as laminated materials, separation is not possible. This can result in lower-quality recovered material with limited or no viable end markets.

Cost

• The Encorp program does not cross-subsidize recycling cost among different container materials.

• As a result, mixed-material containers may be subject to a specific Container Recycling Fee (CRF) that reflects the additional costs associated with separate collection and sorting, additional processing and material separation and limited commodity value and end-market opportunities.

Before Introducing a New Mixed-Material Container

To ensure compliance with the BC Recycling Regulation, please carefully assess whether any new mixed-material beverage container is truly recyclable within existing recycling systems.

If you are considering introducing a new mixed-material beverage container for sale in British Columbia, please contact the Brand Registry team before introducing, registering or launching in the BC market.

When contacting the Brand Registry team at brandregistry@returnit.ca, please include:

• Multiple photos of the container

• A material specifications sheet

• A physical sample of the container (to be sent to the Encorp head office)

Early engagement helps identify potential recycling challenges, supports regulatory compliance and advances our shared sustainability goals.