RRFB

The Beverage Container Deposit-Refund System was established in 1996 as part of Nova Scotia’s Solid Waste Resource Management Regulations. These regulations ban certain beverage containers from disposal in provincial landfills and require beverage distributors or retailers to charge a recycling deposit fee on all regulated beverage containers sold in Nova Scotia and included in the program.

The regulations also established RRFB Nova Scotia as an independent agency responsible for the province’s Deposit-Refund Program and operation of a collection network for the recycling of regulated beverage containers.

Launched on April 1, 1996, the beverage container recycling program applies to all regulated ready-to-serve beverages. Check out the sample list of “What’s IN and What’s OUT” of the program.

How the Deposit-Refund Program works Retailers collect and remit the 10 cent deposit from consumers to RRFB Nova Scotia on liquor or non-liquor beverage containers. RRFB Nova Scotia then returns a 5 cent refund to consumers for each container returned through the ENVIRO-DEPOT™ network.

Container Type Deposit Paid Refund Non-liquor less than 5 L 10¢ 5¢ Liquor 500 ml or less 10¢ 5¢ Liquor greater than 500 ml 20¢ 10¢ Deposit on refillable domestic beer bottles are completely refundable ($1.20/dozen)

In the case of liquor containers over 500 ml, a 20 cent deposit is collected and remitted to RRFB Nova Scotia and 10 cents is refunded.

Fact:
Since 1996, Nova Scotia has one of the highest return rates for beverage containers in North America. To date it has helped divert and recycle more than three billion beverage containers away from the province’s landfills.