The container’s journey
In Quebec, a consumer who buys a beverage in a container subject to the public deposit-refund system automatically pays a 10-cent deposit to the retailer. That amount is refunded to them when they return the empty container. Of course, if they don’t return the empty container, they lose the deposit amount.
At the store
The producer sells his container at retailer and receives a deposit-refund fee of 10¢.
retailer sells its container to the consumer and collects 10¢ deposit-refund
The consumer returns the container to retailer and obtains a refund of 10¢.
The producer takes back the empty containers and reimburses 10¢ to retailer and pays a handling fee.
At the packer's
The producer pays Consignaction the deposit-refund collected from the sale of his container at retailer (Step 1).
Consignaction pays the deposit-refund and the handling fee paid at the time of pick-up at retailer (Step 4).
Producer forwards empty containers to the packer
The processor sorts the containers by material
The containers are transported to aluminum, plastic or glass recyclers
At the recycling plant
Aluminum smelter for manufacturing aluminum ingots or coils
Glass recycling plant
Plastic recycling plant
Everything is transformed, nothing is lost.
The infinite life cycle of an aluminum can
