6 Deposits, Refunds and Recovery Rates
- Detailed statistics on the weight and number of containers recovered.
- Summary of overall units recycled, and the per capita statistics.
6.1 Recycling By the Numbers
We prevented over 1 billion containers from going to landfills in 2021, ensuring that they were recycled into useful new materials and products. That’s a big win for British Columbia’s environment.
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| Container Type | Containers Sold | Containers Recovered | % Recovery Rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Aluminum | 580,706,319 | 526,169,333 | 464,151,730 | 435,488,789 | 79.9% | 82.8% |
| Plastic ≤ 1L | 495,970,092 | 440,695,477 | 355,561,437 | 305,708,010 | 71.7% | 69.4% |
| Plastic > 1L | 69,542,066 | 67,226,444 | 55,530,802 | 51,545,906 | 79.9% | 76.7% |
| Plastic Total | 565,512,158 | 507,921,921 | 411,092,239 | 357,253,916 | 72.7% | 70.3% |
| Glass | 205,949,685 | 214,475,869 | 178,982,013 | 186,442,174 | 86.9% | 86.9% |
| Drink Box | 92,993,558 | 87,773,489 | 50,217,534 | 46,542,567 | 54.0% | 53.0% |
| Gable Top | 8,168,827 | 9,583,034 | 4,867,070 | 5,393,629 | 59.6% | 56.3% |
| Bi-Metal | 2,666,635 | 3,230,886 | 2,225,211 | 2,565,186 | 83.4% | 79.4% |
| Bag-In-Box | 4,700,707 | 4,970,904 | 2,245,101 | 2,251,483 | 47.8% | 45.3% |
| Pouches | 9,944,211 | 8,809,609 | 2,340,525 | 2,242,527 | 23.5% | 25.5% |
| Totals | 1,470,642,100 | 1,362,935,045 | 1,116,121,423 | 1,038,180,271 | 75.9% | 76.2% |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
Recovery by Weight
In 2021, Encorp Pacific recovered over 89 metric tonnes of containers.
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| Type | Estimated Weight of Containers Sold (KG) |
Estimated Weight of Containers Recovered (KG) |
Recovery by Weight % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 7,898 | 6,312 | 79.9% |
| Plastic | 15,333 | 11,344 | 74.0% |
| Glass | 80,040 | 69,410 | 86.7% |
| Polycoat | 2,404 | 1,519 | 63.2% |
| Pouches | 56 | 13 | 23.6% |
| Bag-In-Box | 1,099 | 525 | 47.8% |
| Bi-Metal | 210 | 162 | 76.8% |
| Totals | 107,040 | 89,284 | 83.4% |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
6.2 Regional Per Capita Returns
| Provincial Totals: | |
|---|---|
| Units Returned | 1,116,121,423 |
| Weight Collected (Tonnes) | 89,284 |
| Per Capita Units Returned | 201.7 |
| Per Capita Weight Collected (Kilograms) | 17.5 |
Regional Breakdown:
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| Region Name | Aluminum | Plastic | Glass | Polycoat | Other | Total | Jan-Dec 2021 Per Capita |
Jan-Dec 2020 Per Capita |
Change to
Per Capita Container Returns / Units (000) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulkley / Nechako | Units
(000) |
4,830 | 4,961 | 1,049 | 577 | 53 | 11,470 | 288.1 | 246.9 | 41.2 inc. |
| Tonnes | 66 | 126 | 378 | 13 | 5 | 588 | 14.8 kg | 14.0 kg | ||
| Cariboo | Units
(000) |
8,036 | 8,062 | 2,028 | 921 | 141 | 19,187 | 292.7 | 259.4 | 33.3 inc. |
| Tonnes | 109.3 | 212.2 | 744.0 | 22.3 | 10.9 | 1,098.7 | 16.8 kg | 16.1 kg | ||
| Central Coast | Units
(000) |
332 | 159 | 56 | 28 | 2 | 577 | 159.1 | 175.0 | (15.9) dec. |
| Tonnes | 4.5 | 4.6 | 21.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 31.5 | 8.7 kg | 9.4 kg | ||
| Fraser - Fort George | Units
(000) |
14,332 | 14,021 | 3,124 | 1,604 | 177 | 33,257 | 318.7 | 293.8 | 25.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 194.9 | 362.0 | 1,183.2 | 38.4 | 15.0 | 1,793.5 | 17.2 kg | 17.3 kg | ||
| Kitimat - Stikine | Units
(000) |
5,124 | 5,196 | 964 | 626 | 58 | 11,968 | 291.0 | 257.9 | 33.1 inc. |
| Tonnes | 69.7 | 134.8 | 375.5 | 14.7 | 5.1 | 599.8 | 14.6 kg | 13.9 kg | ||
| Skeena - Queen Charlotte | Units
(000) |
2,480 | 2,637 | 587 | 229 | 43 | 5,976 | 306.5 | 307.2 | (0.6) dec. |
| Tonnes | 33.7 | 68.7 | 220.1 | 6.4 | 2.4 | 331.3 | 17.0 kg | 17.6 kg | ||
| Northern Rockies | Units
(000) |
547 | 821 | 86 | 45 | 5 | 1,505 | 305.5 | 264.4 | 41.1 inc. |
| Tonnes | 7.4 | 20.2 | 33.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 63.0 | 12.8 kg | 12.4 kg | ||
| Peace River | Units
(000) |
7,553 | 9,481 | 1,585 | 918 | 106 | 19,644 | 291.1 | 273.0 | 18.1 inc. |
| Tonnes | 102.7 | 243.7 | 590.6 | 22.6 | 6.0 | 965.6 | 14.3 kg | 14.7 kg | ||
| Capital Regional District | Units
(000) |
42,360 | 28,416 | 17,572 | 3,896 | 474 | 92,718 | 214.6 | 200.9 | 13.7 inc. |
| Tonnes | 576.1 | 823.6 | 6,858.1 | 115.3 | 65.2 | 8,438.3 | 19.5 kg | 20.2 kg | ||
| Cowichan Valley | Units
(000) |
11,801 | 8,960 | 4,113 | 960 | 167 | 26,001 | 282.9 | 263.1 | 19.8 inc. |
| Tonnes | 160.5 | 246.0 | 1,617.6 | 27.9 | 22.1 | 2,074.1 | 22.6 kg | 22.2 kg | ||
| Alberni / Clayoquot | Units
(000) |
5,358 | 4,251 | 1,665 | 436 | 64 | 11,774 | 343.8 | 277.7 | 66.1 inc. |
| Tonnes | 72.9 | 116.1 | 635.9 | 12.5 | 6.7 | 844.1 | 24.6 kg | 21.4 kg | ||
| Comox | Units
(000) |
8,255 | 6,016 | 3,224 | 772 | 118 | 18,386 | 246.0 | 226.6 | 19.4 inc. |
| Tonnes | 112.3 | 169.1 | 1,273.0 | 23.4 | 18.7 | 1,596.5 | 21.4 kg | 21.4 kg | ||
| Mount Waddington | Units
(000) |
2,044 | 1,623 | 402 | 169 | 20 | 4,257 | 364.4 | 314.4 | 49.9 inc. |
| Tonnes | 27.8 | 44.7 | 154.4 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 233.8 | 20.0 kg | 18.0 kg | ||
| Nanaimo | Units
(000) |
17,885 | 13,675 | 6,800 | 1,546 | 262 | 40,169 | 231.2 | 213.8 | 17.4 inc.. |
| Tonnes | 243.2 | 380.1 | 2,699.2 | 44.9 | 39.4 | 3,406.8 | 19.6 kg | 19.5 kg | ||
| Strathcona | Units
(000) |
5,603 | 4,122 | 1,666 | 455 | 74 | 11,921 | 237.6 | 197.6 | 40.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 76.2 | 115.6 | 657.9 | 13.8 | 10.7 | 874.2 | 17.4 kg | 16.1 kg | ||
| Greater Vancouver | Units
(000) |
192,998 | 180,582 | 84,637 | 28,037 | 3,161 | 489,414 | 176.5 | 166.4 | 10.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 2,624.8 | 5,048.7 | 32,499.9 | 771.7 | 270.1 | 41,215.2 | 14.9 kg | 15.3 kg | ||
| Fraser Valley | Units
(000) |
32,871 | 30,286 | 9,596 | 3,887 | 498 | 77,138 | 226.9 | 222.6 | 4.2 inc. |
| Tonnes | 447.0 | 822.6 | 3,663.4 | 102.7 | 42.2 | 5,077.9 | 14.9 kg | 15.6 kg | ||
| Powell River | Units
(000) |
2,562 | 1,740 | 942 | 225 | 43 | 5,511 | 257.0 | 231.0 | 26.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 34.8 | 50.4 | 365.5 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 464.1 | 21.6 kg | 20.5 kg | ||
| Squamish - Lillooet | Units
(000) |
5,072 | 3,772 | 3,198 | 465 | 61 | 12,568 | 260.1 | 263.7 | (3.6) dec. |
| Tonnes | 69.0 | 105.0 | 1,242.6 | 13.3 | 6.2 | 1,436.1 | 29.7 kg | 32.7 kg | ||
| Sunshine Coast | Units
(000) |
3,244 | 1,910 | 2,004 | 286 | 54 | 7,498 | 232.1 | 205.1 | 27.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 44.1 | 56.3 | 795.7 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 914.6 | 28.3 kg | 26.3 kg | ||
| Central Okanagan | Units
(000) |
23,272 | 21,228 | 9,867 | 2,460 | 289 | 57,116 | 249.0 | 245.1 | 3.9 inc. |
| Tonnes | 316.5 | 588.6 | 4,065.4 | 68.9 | 39.9 | 5,079.3 | 22.1 kg | 23.3 kg | ||
| North Okanagan | Units
(000) |
11,620 | 11,057 | 4,167 | 1,180 | 155 | 28,179 | 301.6 | 289.0 | 12.6 inc. |
| Tonnes | 158.0 | 303.3 | 1,649.9 | 35.7 | 20.7 | 2,167.6 | 23.2 kg | 23.8 kg | ||
| Okanagan - Similkameen | Units
(000) |
11,475 | 10,680 | 5,405 | 1,086 | 172 | 28,818 | 315.9 | 283.6 | 32.4 inc. |
| Tonnes | 156.1 | 290.9 | 2,195.9 | 30.5 | 25.7 | 2,699.1 | 29.6 kg | 28.3 kg | ||
| Columbia Shuswap | Units
(000) |
7,191 | 6,087 | 2,812 | 678 | 101 | 16,868 | 293.0 | 297.8 | (4.8) dec. |
| Tonnes | 97.8 | 164.9 | 1,071.3 | 19.4 | 13.9 | 1,367.3 | 23.8 kg | 25.2 kg | ||
| Thompson - Nicola | Units
(000) |
18,638 | 17,700 | 5,430 | 1,910 | 289 | 43,966 | 296.5 | 278.2 | 18.3 inc. |
| Tonnes | 253.5 | 468.9 | 2,057.5 | 50.7 | 26.0 | 2,856.6 | 19.3 kg | 19.7 kg | ||
| Central Kootenay | Units
(000) |
6,772 | 4,270 | 2,458 | 627 | 88 | 14,215 | 220.5 | 226.7 | (6.2) dec. |
| Tonnes | 92.1 | 122.2 | 952.2 | 18.3 | 11.9 | 1,196.7 | 18.6 kg | 19.0 kg | ||
| East Kootenay | Units
(000) |
8,072 | 6,559 | 2,474 | 681 | 84 | 17,870 | 267.9 | 264.2 | 3.8 inc. |
| Tonnes | 109.8 | 175.8 | 992.2 | 18.9 | 9.9 | 1,306.6 | 19.6 kg | 20.0 kg | ||
| Kootenay Boundary | Units
(000) |
3,825 | 2,822 | 1,072 | 382 | 51 | 8,152 | 242.3 | 226.3 | 16.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 52.0 | 78.3 | 415.4 | 11.2 | 7.1 | 564.0 | 16.8 kg | 16.1 kg | ||
| Total Units | Units
(000) |
464,152 | 411,092 | 178,982 | 55,085 | 6,811 | 1,116,122 | 214.0 | 201.7 | 12.3 inc. |
| Total | Tonnes | 6,312 | 11,344 | 69,410 | 1,519 | 700 | 89,284 | 17.1 kg | 17.5 kg |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
