01-07-2025
Bottle-deposit association ordered to pay $27K after administrative investigation
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The organization tasked with managing Quebec's deposit system on cans and bottles will have to pay $27,500 in fines after an administrative investigation spanning months.
The Quebec Environment Ministry announced Monday that it completed its investigation into the Quebec Beverage Container Recycling Association (AQRCB) and Consignaction, the association's brand for bottle return sites.
The AQRCB was given five notices of non-compliance and four administrative monetary penalties as a result of the findings, according to the ministry.
The investigation found 22 alleged violations of the Regulation Respecting the Development, Implementation and Financial Support of a Deposit-Refund System for Certain Containers, the ministry said. Among them, the association reportedly failed 'to enter into the required contracts with the holders of return sites, particularly in isolated or remote areas.'
'The ministry is closely monitoring the matter to ensure that the AQRCB is complying with its obligations,' the ministry said in a statement.
Last November, the province announced it was investigating AQRCB and Consignation, citing unreasonable delays and a lack of information over the deposit system overhaul. The move left the organizations unable to secure the bank funding necessary to build new return centres, prompting numerous questions about whether the province has the resources to handle the increase in volume.
But in early June, the situation seemed to have improved. Consignaction reported operations ran smoothly at 50 drop-off sites across Quebec and collection numbers rose, just three months after the province introduced a 10-cent deposit fee on ready-to-drink plastic containers.
The AQRCB welcomed the end of the investigation Tuesday, saying it acknowledges the findings 'which reveal no cause for concern.'
The association said 'some of the issues' outlined in the report were already corrected before the investigation started. The others will be addressed through a 'corrective action plan' that will be sent to the ministry.
'With this milestone completed, the AQRCB can now move on and accelerate the rollout of the modernized deposit system,' the association said in a statement.
