4 Collection System and Facilities

4.1 Building On Our Success

Encorp’s collection network consists of 172 privately owned Return-It depots. Over the past several years, this network has become the backbone for many community- based recycling programs around the province.

Nine approved stewardship programs utilize our successful Return-It depot network for collecting and managing their recyclables. From electronics and batteries to used paint and motorized yard tools, our depots have become the recycling hub of their respective communities.

The stewardship plan sets a standard for depot coverage of 97% of B.C.’s population. Encorp Return-It depots provide services to 98.6% of the British Columbian population and when the beverage retail collection locations are included, coverage increases to 99.4%. To view the coverage maps visit return-it.ca/locations/coverage-2016

Encorp’s authorized return locations exceed both the target within the approved plan and the SABC Accessibility Standard. The SABC standard is recognized by all of the member stewardship agencies as the minimum standard for access to recycling for communities in B.C. To view the full standards, visit bcrecycles.ca

Our integrated transportation system uses 37 transporters to move our material into 12 processing sites throughout the province. Within urban centres, we use dedicated transporters that pick up from depots, retailers and other collection sites. In rural areas, Encorp utilizes transporters that provide back-hauling resulting in environmental, logistical and financial savings.

Encorp is responsible for managing a large volume of valuable containers and significant funds in the form of deposits and fees. We take this responsibility very seriously, so a key function in our day-to-day operations is continuously monitoring the integrity of our systems.

Our Quality Assurance division is a central part of this, sampling bags of containers collected across the system to ensure that container counts are correct and that only acceptable containers are present.

We also monitor trends and activity within our depot, logistics and processing network and share tools and experience with other beverage container stewardship organizations across the country. Finally, we use an independent auditor to carry out both financial and non-financial audits, presented in this annual report, to test the integrity of our reporting.

4.2 How the Collection System Works

Consumers take their empty containers to a variety of places to collect the deposit refund, and ensure they are recycled.

4.3 Collection, Transportation, Processing Map

Encorp contracts collection, transportation and processing through a regularly reviewed request for proposal (RFP) procedure. Routes are consistently monitored and adjusted for optimal efficiencies. Transporters pick up beverage containers from depots and deliver them to the nearest approved processor. They are then compacted and prepared for shipping to various recyclers. This step ensures that on a weighted basis, 81% of the kilometers a container travels will be in a compacted state keeping the GHG emissions at a minimum.

Note: Map outlines collection, transportation, and processing for all commodities except glass.
Routes between depots and their respective processors are indicated in colour.

For detailed location search, please visit return-it.ca/locations.