6 Deposits, Refunds and Recovery Rates
- Detailed statistics on the number and weight of beverage containers recycled.
- Summary of overall units recycled and per capita statistics.
6.1 Recycling by the Numbers
In 2023, Encorp prevented 1.375 billion containers from going to landfills. By doing so, Encorp ensured that these containers were recycled into useful new materials and products, which is a huge positive for British Columbia’s environment.
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| Container Type | Containers Sold | Containers Recovered | % Recovery Rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Aluminum | 635,187,798 | 611,795,652 | 534,060,041 | 499,295,633 | 84.1% | 81.6% |
| Plastic ≤ 1L | 557,924,167 | 540,870,220 | 438,673,973 | 380,988,608 | 78.6% | 70.4% |
| Plastic > 1L | 135,524,092 | 118,634,905 | 106,164,738 | 109,900,695 | 78.3% | 92.6% |
| Plastic Total | 693,448,259 | 659,505,125 | 544,838,711 | 490,889,304 | 78.6% | 74.4% |
| Glass | 195,642,219 | 204,283,192 | 175,891,915 | 177,235,306 | 89.9% | 86.8% |
| Drink Boxes | 115,150,241 | 111,304,721 | 67,651,998 | 62,093,090 | 58.8% | 55.8% |
| Gable Top Cartons | 72,966,559 | 54,692,906 | 45,756,471 | 35,795,624 | 62.7% | 65.4% |
| Bi-Metal | 2,990,711 | 2,865,070 | 2,351,812 | 2,401,134 | 78.6% | 83.8% |
| Bag-In-A-Box | 4,134,591 | 4,415,226 | 2,241,884 | 2,153,248 | 54.2% | 48.8% |
| Pouches | 7,182,510 | 12,209,629 | 2,368,736 | 2,617,078 | 33.0% | 21.4% |
| Totals | 1,726,702,889 | 1,661,071,520 | 1,375,161,566 | 1,272,480,416 | 79.6% | 76.6% |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
Recovery by Weight
In 2023, Encorp recovered 90,283 metric tonnes (Mt) of containers.
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| Type | Estimated Weight of Containers Sold (Mt) |
Estimated Weight of Containers Recovered (Mt) |
Recovery by Weight % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 8,194 | 6,889 | 84.1% |
| Plastic | 22,661 | 17,791 | 78.5% |
| Glass | 68,258 | 61,367 | 89.9% |
| Polycoat | 5,828 | 3,528 | 60.5% |
| Pouches | 40 | 13 | 32.9% |
| Bag-In-Box | 967 | 524 | 54.2% |
| Bi-Metal | 217 | 171 | 78.6% |
| Totals | 106,165 | 90,283 | 85.0% |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
6.2 Regional Per Capita Returns
| Provincial Totals: | |
|---|---|
| Units Returned | 1,375,161,566 |
| Weight Collected (Metric Tonnes) | 90,283 |
| Per Capita Units Returned | 249.2 |
| Per Capita Weight Collected (Kilograms) | 16.4 |
Regional Breakdown:
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| Region Name | Aluminum | Plastic | Glass | Polycoat | Other | Total | Jan-Dec 2023 Per Capita |
Jan-Dec 2022 Per Capita |
Change to
Per Capita Container Returns |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulkley / Nechako | Units
(000) |
5,887 | 7,250 | 1,045 | 998 | 58 | 15,239 | 369.5 | 323.9 | 45.6 inc. |
| Tonnes | 76 | 226 | 365 | 30 | 5 | 702 | 17.01 kg | 16.5 kg | ||
| Cariboo | Units
(000) |
8,621 | 9,786 | 2,160 | 1,307 | 114 | 21,989 | 325.8 | 313.6 | 12.2 inc. |
| Tonnes | 111 | 308 | 753 | 40 | 11 | 1,224 | 18.13 kg | 18.0 kg | ||
| Central Coast | Units
(000) |
402 | 297 | 66 | 62 | 3 | 831 | 218.6 | 167.3 | 51.3 inc. |
| Tonnes | 5 | 9 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 10.52 kg | 10.1 kg | ||
| Fraser - Fort George | Units
(000) |
15,818 | 16,574 | 3,142 | 2,568 | 176 | 38,277 | 360.2 | 344.0 | 16.2 inc. |
| Tonnes | 204 | 520 | 1,096 | 78 | 14 | 1,913 | 18.00 kg | 18.5 kg | ||
| Kitimat - Stikine | Units
(000) |
6,158 | 6,566 | 981 | 981 | 60 | 14,745 | 348.9 | 341.0 | 7.9 inc. |
| Tonnes | 79 | 204 | 342 | 30 | 5 | 660 | 15.61 kg | 16.3 kg | ||
| Skeena - Queen Charlotte | Units
(000) |
2,854 | 2,801 | 560 | 381 | 39 | 6,634 | 330.7 | 329.3 | 1.5 inc. |
| Tonnes | 37 | 84 | 195 | 12 | 2 | 330 | 16.47 kg | 17.8 kg | ||
| Northern Rockies | Units
(000) |
657 | 1,075 | 106 | 93 | 5 | 1,937 | 392.1 | 323.6 | 68.5 inc. |
| Tonnes | 8 | 33 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 82 | 16.65 kg | 14.9 kg | ||
| Peace River | Units
(000) |
8,027 | 10,614 | 1,571 | 1,501 | 94 | 21,807 | 315.7 | 307.9 | 7.7 inc. |
| Tonnes | 104 | 333 | 548 | 46 | 6 | 1,037 | 15.00 kg | 15.6 kg | ||
| Capital Regional District | Units
(000) |
49,799 | 39,410 | 16,940 | 10,432 | 508 | 117,088 | 255.9 | 242.0 | 13.9 inc. |
| Tonnes | 642 | 1,281 | 5,910 | 331 | 66 | 8,230 | 17.99 kg | 18.6 kg | ||
| Cowichan Valley | Units
(000) |
13,527 | 10,802 | 3,733 | 2,040 | 184 | 30,287 | 315.4 | 311.4 | 4.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 175 | 342 | 1,303 | 63 | 23 | 1,905 | 19.83 kg | 21.9 kg | ||
| Alberni / Clayoquot | Units
(000) |
5,628 | 4,742 | 1,474 | 791 | 59 | 12,694 | 351.1 | 369.5 | (18.4) dec. |
| Tonnes | 73 | 150 | 514 | 25 | 6 | 767 | 21.23 kg | 24.5 kg | ||
| Comox | Units
(000) |
9,247 | 7,047 | 3,042 | 1,706 | 112 | 21,154 | 270.0 | 260.5 | 9.5 inc. |
| Tonnes | 119 | 226 | 1,061 | 54 | 18 | 1,478 | 18.86 kg | 20.0 kg | ||
| Mount Waddington | Units
(000) |
2,187 | 1,959 | 426 | 300 | 20 | 4,893 | 400.8 | 392.7 | 8.1 inc. |
| Tonnes | 28 | 61 | 149 | 9 | 3 | 250 | 20.50 kg | 21.8 kg | ||
| Nanaimo | Units
(000) |
19,906 | 16,413 | 6,547 | 3,276 | 234 | 46,375 | 253.0 | 248.9 | 4.0 inc.. |
| Tonnes | 257 | 546 | 2,284 | 102 | 36 | 3,226 | 17.60 kg | 18.6 kg | ||
| Strathcona | Units
(000) |
6,262 | 5,083 | 1,651 | 911 | 71 | 13,978 | 265.0 | 263.7 | 1.4 inc. |
| Tonnes | 81 | 162 | 576 | 28 | 10 | 858 | 16.27 kg | 17.8 kg | ||
| Greater Vancouver | Units
(000) |
217,730 | 241,371 | 83,694 | 56,676 | 3,429 | 602,901 | 204.3 | 201.8 | 2.6 inc. |
| Tonnes | 2,809 | 8,003 | 29,200 | 1,765 | 274 | 42,051 | 14.25 kg | 14.8 kg | ||
| Fraser Valley | Units
(000) |
36,929 | 42,357 | 9,265 | 7,204 | 478 | 96,233 | 268.0 | 257.0 | 11.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 476 | 1,357 | 3,233 | 221 | 44 | 5,332 | 14.85 kg | 15.6 kg | ||
| Powell River | Units
(000) |
2,843 | 2,182 | 865 | 493 | 38 | 6,421 | 287.3 | 282.4 | 4.9 inc. |
| Tonnes | 37 | 75 | 302 | 16 | 7 | 436 | 19.50 kg | 20.8 kg | ||
| Squamish - Lillooet | Units
(000) |
5,902 | 4,735 | 2,736 | 991 | 53 | 14,416 | 278.8 | 278.9 | (0.1) dec. |
| Tonnes | 76 | 153 | 954 | 31 | 5 | 1,220 | 23.59 kg | 26.4 kg | ||
| Sunshine Coast | Units
(000) |
3,618 | 2,460 | 1,843 | 733 | 54 | 8,709 | 250.5 | 247.5 | 3.0 inc. |
| Tonnes | 47 | 80 | 643 | 23 | 9 | 802 | 23.06 kg | 24.9 kg | ||
| Central Okanagan | Units
(000) |
36,699 | 39,961 | 10,670 | 7,674 | 330 | 95,334 | 385.6 | 280.9 | 104.7 inc. |
| Tonnes | 473 | 1,368 | 3,723 | 239 | 52 | 5,856 | 23.69 kg | 21.8 kg | ||
| North Okanagan | Units
(000) |
12,995 | 12,697 | 4,073 | 2,310 | 146 | 32,220 | 327.8 | 322.1 | 5.7 inc. |
| Tonnes | 168 | 407 | 1,421 | 72 | 19 | 2,086 | 21.22 kg | 22.4 kg | ||
| Okanagan - Similkameen | Units
(000) |
12,230 | 12,286 | 5,010 | 2,088 | 167 | 31,781 | 335.9 | 337.0 | (1.1) dec. |
| Tonnes | 158 | 388 | 1,748 | 65 | 25 | 2,383 | 25.19 kg | 27.1 kg | ||
| Columbia Shuswap | Units
(000) |
7,884 | 7,190 | 2,694 | 1,286 | 81 | 19,135 | 312.1 | 313.1 | (1.0) dec. |
| Tonnes | 102 | 232 | 940 | 40 | 12 | 1,326 | 21.62 kg | 23.3 kg | ||
| Thompson - Nicola | Units
(000) |
21,531 | 22,146 | 5,652 | 3,378 | 229 | 52,936 | 339.4 | 331.2 | 8.2 inc. |
| Tonnes | 278 | 697 | 1,972 | 104 | 26 | 3,076 | 19.72 kg | 20.6 kg | ||
| Central Kootenay | Units
(000) |
7,780 | 5,695 | 2,394 | 1,302 | 90 | 17,261 | 258.6 | 246.2 | 12.4 inc. |
| Tonnes | 100 | 185 | 835 | 40 | 12 | 1,172 | 17.56 kg | 18.3 kg | ||
| East Kootenay | Units
(000) |
8,827 | 7,894 | 2,524 | 1,246 | 81 | 20,571 | 294.7 | 278.1 | 16.7 inc. |
| Tonnes | 114 | 251 | 881 | 39 | 9 | 1,294 | 18.54 kg | 18.5 kg | ||
| Kootenay Boundary | Units
(000) |
4,113 | 3,447 | 1,027 | 682 | 50 | 9,318 | 265.1 | 252.6 | 12.5 inc. |
| Tonnes | 53 | 110 | 358 | 21 | 7 | 550 | 15.63 kg | 16.3 kg | ||
| Total Units | Units
(000) |
534,060 | 544,839 | 175,892 | 113,408 | 6,963 | 1,375,162 | 249.2 | 239.2 | 9.9 inc. |
| Total Weight | Tonnes | 6,889 | 17,791 | 61,367 | 3,528 | 708 | 90,284 | 16.4 kg | 17.0 kg |
Note: Calculations may show slight variances due to rounding.
