Encorp Pacific

Last updated

Encorp Pacific (Canada)
Type Non-profit organization
Founded1994;29 years ago (1994)
Headquarters Burnaby
Number of locations
163 (2021)
Area served
British Columbia
Key people
Cindy Coutts (President & CEO)
Revenue$111,683,202 (2021)
Website www.return-it.ca

Encorp Pacific (Canada) is a federally incorporated, not-for-profit, product stewardship corporation with beverage container management as its core business. Their mandate is to develop, manage and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life products from consumers and ensure that they are properly recycled and not land-filled or incinerated. This model is commonly referred to as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or Industry Product Stewardship (IPS). [1]

Contents

Recycling depots

The Return-It™ network consists of independently owned and operated Return-It depot collection facilities that have collection agreements with Encorp, as well as corporate Return-It Express Plus™ locations and Express & GO™ unstaffed stations.

The Express system provides a level of consumer convenience by removing the need for customers to sort their containers and wait in line for their refund. Customers tag their bags, drop them off and are on their way within minutes. Express & GO locations are unstaffed solar-powered drop-off stations with extended hours and contactless service. Express Plus locations, Encorp's flagship, offer a convenient and cashless way to recycle used beverage containers and other small household items. There are a total of 163 depots, 78 in-depot Express locations, 9 Express & GO stations and 2 Express Plus locations in BC. [2]

Beverage container deposits

Starting October 12, 2020, consumers are charged the unified deposit of 10¢ for all beverage containers covered by the Return-It system, and refunded 10¢ upon return. [3]

As of February 1, 2022, milk and plant-based beverage containers are also part of the Return-It deposit system. [4]

Return rates

Encorp Pacific has a government-mandated recovery rate of 75%, expressed in the Environmental Management Act. [5]

YearContainers soldContainers recoveredReturn rate
2008 [6] 1,379,887,2321,064,064,12277.1%
2009 [7] 1,353,133,3421,072,598,29879.3%
2010 [8] 1,277,506,3391,027,105,32280.4%
2011 [9] 1,237,182,406987,186,52579.8%
2012 [10] 1,237,108,765973,327,07878.7%
2013 [11] 1,214,144,300972,397,24180.1%
2014 [12] 1,224,579,061968,583,63279.1%
2015 [13] 1,266,027,839999,290,45478.9%
2016 [14] 1,282,922,4731,000,749,81178.0%
2017 [15] 1,349,149,4371,023,306,03975.8%
2018 [16] 1,350,852,4031,045,466,47177.4%
2019 [17] 1,348,921,3601,053,684,53278.1%
2020 [18] 1,362,935,0451,038,180,27176.2%
2021 [19] 1,470,642,1001,116,121,42375.9%

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Product stewardship is an approach to managing the environmental impacts of different products and materials and at different stages in their production, use and disposal. It acknowledges that those involved in producing, selling, using and disposing of products have a shared responsibility to ensure that those products or materials are managed in a way that reduces their impact, throughout their lifecycle, on the environment and on human health and safety. This approach focusses on the product itself, and everyone involved in the lifespan of the product is called upon to take up responsibility to reduce its environmental, health, and safety impacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuse of bottles</span>

A reusable bottle is a bottle that can be reused, as in the case as by the original bottler or by end-use consumers. Reusable bottles have grown in popularity by consumers for both environmental and health safety reasons. Reusable bottles are one example of reusable packaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Bottle Bill</span> Container-deposit legislation

The Oregon Bottle Bill is a container-deposit legislation enacted in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1971 that went into effect in October 1972. It was the first such legislation in the United States. It was amended in 2007 and 2011. It requires applicable beverages in applicable sizes in glass, plastic or metal cans or bottles sold in Oregon to be returnable with a minimum refund value. The refund value was initially 5 cents until April 1, 2017, when it increased to 10 cents. The Oregon Legislature has given the Oregon Liquor Control Commission the authority to administer and enforce the Bottle Bill. For COVID-19 related reasons, from March 15, 2020 until July 5, 2021 enforcement was suspended a few times and retailers were allowed to limit acceptance hours. Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), a private cooperative owned by retailers and beverage distributors, administers the collection and transportation of returned containers and keeps all the unclaimed deposits. Materials from returned containers are sold by the OBRC and proceeds are handed out to beverage distributors. In 2022, the bottle bill was expanded to include canned wine, which will become eligible for redemption on July 1, 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beer Store</span> Canadian beverage retailer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Container-deposit legislation</span>

Container-deposit legislation is any law that requires the collection of a monetary deposit on beverage containers at the point of sale and/or the payment of refund value to the consumers. When the container is returned to an authorized redemption center, or retailer in some jurisdictions, the deposit is partly or fully refunded to the redeemer. It is a deposit-refund system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverse vending machine</span> Machine for recycling bottles and cans

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California Redemption Value (CRV), also known as California Refund Value, is a regulatory fee paid on recyclable beverage containers in the U.S. state of California. The fee was established by the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 and further extended to additional beverage types in California State Senate Bill No. 1013, signed into law on September 28, 2022 and taking effect on January 1, 2024; since 2010 the program has been administered by the Cal/EPA California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Container deposit legislation in the United States</span> Overview of the container deposit legislation in the United States

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References

  1. "Who is Encorp? | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  2. "Section 1. Executive Summary | 2021 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  3. "Deposit Changes as of Oct. 1st, 2020 | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  4. "Milk and plant-based beverages are part of the deposit system! | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  5. "Environmental Management Act: Recycling Regulation", Government of British Columbia, 7 October 2004, archived from the original on 17 June 2017, retrieved 31 December 2017
  6. 2008 Annual Report
  7. 2009 Annual Report
  8. 2010 Annual Report
  9. 2011 Annual Report
  10. 2012 Annual Report
  11. 2013 Annual Report
  12. 2014 Annual Report
  13. 2015 Annual Report
  14. 2016 Annual Report
  15. 2017 Annual Report
  16. 2018 Annual Report
  17. "2019 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  18. "2020 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  19. "2021 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.