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Alberta is proud to support one of the most innovative and effective beverage container recycling programs in North America. The operational costs of the system are covered through the sale of the recycled scrap material, un-redeemed deposits, refund or deposits that have not been paid out to the customer, and a container recycling fee.

The combination of the beverage container recycling fee and the other revenue collected, support the costs associated with the collection, handling, transportation, and processing of the empty beverage containers. There are numerous companies and thousands of people employed in Alberta to help the system run smoothly from start to finish. Beverage container recycling fees differ because the different beverage containers are made from different materials and each have different costs to process and recycle them.

Read the Container Recycling Fee Brochure 

Container Recycling Fee FAQs

  • What is a container recycling fee?

    The container recycling fee is the amount beverage manufacturers are required to pay to cover the net cost related to recovering and processing used non-refillable beverage containers, and to ensure Alberta maintains an effective and sustainable recycling system.

  • How much is the container recycling fee?

    The container recycling fee depends on the material the container is made from and the size of the container. These fees are monitored on a regular basis and published each year, with the new fees usually coming into effect on February 1st.  Review the Container Recycling Fee Brochure for more information.

  • Is the container recycling fee a form of government tax?

    The beverage container recovery system in Alberta operates autonomously from government and does not receive funding of any kind from government.

  • Who administers the fee?

    The container recycling fee is administered by Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC), a not-for-profit stewardship agency. The fees are used in their entirety to operate the Common Collection System for the benefit of all Albertans.

  • Why is the container recycling fee being shown on some of my receipts?

    Retailers are not required to display the CRF separately on receipts. Some include it in the price of the containers.

  • Why do I pay the container recycling fee in some stores but not others?

    Decisions by manufacturers to pass on the container recycling fee to retailers and by retailers to pass it to consumers are made independently. Some retailers choose to pass the fee on and show it on the receipt, and other retailers include it in the price of the product.

  • What happens to the containers?

    Each container type is recycled in its own way. Read more about it on the Container Types and Refunds page.