Encorp Pacific

Encorp Pacific (commonly known as Return-It) is a non-profit organization which manages the recycling of beverage containers and electronic devices in British Columbia.[1] Encorp Pacific was initially founded in 1994 to collect non-alcoholic beverage containers with refundable deposits. In 2001, Encorp Pacific signed a deal with the Liquor Distribution Branch to also collect all alcoholic beverage containers. In 2006, the organization also began collecting milk containers (which are now collected by Recycle BC) and electronic devices for recycling. In February 2019, a pilot program began, allowing the collection of textile waste at some locations.[2]

Encorp Pacific
Non-profit organization
Founded1994 (1994)
HeadquartersBurnaby
Number of locations
170 (2018)
Area served
British Columbia
Key people
Allen Langdon (Director)
Revenue$94,617,619 (2018)
Websitewww.return-it.ca

Recycling depots

170 return locations operate throughout the province under the Return-It name, although most locations are privately owned.[3] Many of these depots also have partnership with other product stewardship groups, such as Product Care and Call2Recycle to collect additional recyclable materials.

In December 2013, the first Express kiosk was opened inside of a Return-It depot in Burnaby.[4] The system allows users to register online, bag their refundables in clear plastic bags and print labels for the bags at the depot. The bottles are then counted by depot staff and money is placed into the user's account. The first stand-alone Return-It Express location opened in Yaletown.[5] In October 2019, Return-It placed a converted shipping container in Tofino as the first "Express & Go" location, designed for small communities without a depot.[6]

Beverage container deposits

Encorp Pacific collects refundable deposits and container recycling fees on most ready-to-drink beverage containers in British Columbia, regardless of material type. Beer container deposits are managed directly by their distributor; however, they are still accepted at Return-It depots. Milk containers have never been deposit-bearing in the province. As of November 1, 2019, the deposit on non-alcoholic beverage containers 1L or smaller was doubled from 5¢ to 10¢.[7]

Return rates

As of 2019, Encorp Pacific had a government-mandated recovery rate of 75%, expressed in the Environmental Management Act.[8]

Year Containers sold Containers returned Return rate
2008[9] 1,379,887,232 1,064,064,122 77.1%
2009[10] 1,353,133,342 1,072,598,298 79.3%
2010[11] 1,277,506,339 1,027,105,322 80.4%
2011[12] 1,237,182,406 987,186,525 79.8%
2012[13] 1,237,108,765 973,327,078 78.7%
2013[14] 1,214,144,300 972,397,241 80.1%
2014[15] 1,224,579,061 968,583,632 79.1%
2015[16] 1,266,027,839 999,290,454 78.9%
2016[17] 1,282,922,473 1,000,749,811 78.0%
2017[18] 1,349,149,437 1,023,306,039 75.8%
2018[19] 1,350,852,403 1,045,466,471 77.4%

Recycling bins

160 street-side bins are located in the City of Vancouver for refundables, as of 2013.[20] Encorp Pacific has also placed bins for refundables inside of large venues across British Columbia.

gollark: Ah.
gollark: But Turkey having 5x more with ~1.2x the population is implausible.
gollark: Oh, I was wrong (not even within an order of magnitude): it is in fact 0.5 million people a year here who go to university.
gollark: So... every year, 3% of your population sits university exams? That seems... kind of high.
gollark: That was a rhetorical question. I can open DuckDuckGo extremely fast.

References
  1. Fraser, Wendy (3 May 2017). ""Love This Place, Reduce This Waste" set for May 13". Bridge River Lillooet News. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  2. Kerr, Jessica (22 February 2019). "Pilot project gives Vancouverites new way to dispose of used clothing". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. "Encorp Pacific: Annual Report 2018". Return-It. Encorp Pacific. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  4. Woodvine, Stanley Q. (23 June 2014). "Return-It Express drop-off program to expand". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. "Recycling Just Got Fast and Convenient in Yaletown". 604 Now. 31 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  6. O'Malley, Nora (21 October 2019). "Tofino opens B.C's first-ever Express & Go recycling station". Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News. Black Press. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. Chan, Adam (23 October 2019). "B.C. beverage container deposits to double next month". CTV News. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  8. "Environmental Management Act: Recycling Regulation", Government of British Columbia, 7 October 2004, archived from the original on 17 June 2017, retrieved 31 December 2017
  9. 2008 Annual Report
  10. 2009 Annual Report
  11. 2010 Annual Report
  12. 2011 Annual Report
  13. 2012 Annual Report
  14. 2013 Annual Report
  15. 2014 Annual Report
  16. 2015 Annual Report
  17. 2016 Annual Report
  18. 2017 Annual Report
  19. 2018 Annual Report
  20. Bellett, Gerry (6 September 2013). "Vancouver's street-side recycling program expanded". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
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