Eunomia was appointed by Recyc-Quebec to model the costs and benefits of modernizing Quebec’s deposit return system for beverage containers.

The work informed the development of draft regulations on modernizing the deposit return and curbside selective collection systems in the Canadian province.

As part of the project, we:

  • Assessed the advantages and disadvantages of different return infrastructure options;
  • Used geographical coverage and volume-based approaches to configure and cost future deposit systems in Quebec;
  • Carried out cost comparisons of different modelled future systems;
  • Modelled the impacts of each system on stakeholders; and
  • Made recommendations on future system design.

The revised regulation will increase the deposit for glass containers over 500ml to CAD$0.25 and CAD$0.10 for all other containers. It will require all wines, liquor, soft drinks, water, beer and milk products to be included in the program and sets out clear parameters to ensure there are convenient and accessible return points available through retail return points, return centers and bulk return points.

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