Quebec delays rollout of its expanded bottle deposit system yet again

For the second time in less than a year and a half, Quebec announced it is once again postponing its expanded deposit system for drink containers, intended in part to manage its overflowing landfills.

The new system for glass and plastic containers, first planned for the fall of 2022 before being postponed to spring of 2023, will not be implemented for another two years, the government said Friday.

Environment Minister Benoit Charette blamed the delay on infrastructure, such as sorting equipment, not being ready. 

In January 2020, the Quebec government announced all metal, plastic or glass beverage containers — from 100 millilitres to two litres in size — will be returnable under a new deposit system.

The government will require merchants who sell these products to take them back and refund the deposit. Wine and spirit bottles will be worth 25 cents, while other bottles will be worth 10 cents. 

"It is important to understand that infrastructures must be put in place at the deposit sites, but also for recovery," said Charette. "There will therefore be all the transport networks and circuits that will be put in place. We need to give ourselves time to do this properly."

The deposit on empties such as aluminum cans will still begin this November, from five to 10 cents per container.

Retailers had been calling for a postponement of the new system for months, asking for more time to plan for it.

"It's a good decision," said Stéphane Lacasse, vice-president of Quebec's association of food retailers (ADA).

"Currently, there are approximately two billion returnable containers in circulation … and what we have been saying from the start is that we do not have the infrastructure to absorb this volume of containers," he said. "We need time."

According to Lacasse, the implementation of this new deposit system would cost some 1.2 billion dollars for approximately 1,200 deposit sites. 

"We thought it would be better to take a step back to prepare the deposit, the recovery and collection network … before telling citizens in Montreal or Rimouski: here are all the places where you can go to deposit," he said.

Lacasse says the goal is to be fast and efficient when the new system rolls out. 

However, many people and environmental organizations say they feel let down by the delay.