Nova Scotia Beverage Refund Reduces Business at Border Depots

Nova Scotia’s current beverage container refund policy is under scrutiny as neighboring provinces offer more competitive incentives. Since its inception, Nova Scotia has provided a refund of five cents for small beverage containers, with many depot owners advocating for an increase to remain viable.

Nebraska’s Beverage Refund Discrepancy

The situation has become more pressing following a recent change in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), which now offers ten cents for most beverage containers and twenty cents for larger alcohol bottles over 500 milliliters. This refund has also been implemented in New Brunswick for the past two years, effectively doubling the incentive present in Nova Scotia.

• P.E.I. Refund: 10 cents for most containers, 20 cents for bottles over 500ml.
• New Brunswick Refund: 10 cents for most containers, 20 cents for bottles over 500ml.
• Nova Scotia Refund: 5 cents for small beverage containers.

Border Depots Struggle

Depot owners near the New Brunswick border, like Dylan Sarson, owner of Nova 4 Enviro in Amherst, report significant declines in business. Sarson noted that, “it’s a 10-minute drive [to New Brunswick] and you double your money,” referring to the increased refunds across the border.

John Reid, who owns A & J’s Bottle Depo in Joggins, echoed these concerns. He claimed to have lost 80% of larger customers who find it more profitable to travel to New Brunswick for refunds. Reid stated, “If I wasn’t a small, independent, self-operated business, I wouldn’t be open today because I just couldn’t handle the loss.”

Government Response

Despite pressure from depot owners, the Nova Scotia government has no immediate plans to adjust the beverage refund system. Elizabeth MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment, mentioned that Divert Nova Scotia has offered financial support totaling $100,000 to six border depots since the New Brunswick policy change, which has increased to $175,000 this fiscal year.

This funding aims to help ease the transition but may not fully alleviate the impact of reduced business. MacDonald also explained that the refund increases in P.E.I. and New Brunswick align with a broader initiative known as extended producer responsibility, which Nova Scotia does not yet apply to beverage containers.

Calls for Change

Many depot owners argue that increasing the refund amount would promote a greater incentive for recycling. Reid pointed out that for the current rate of five cents, “most people can’t be bothered” to return cans. Sarson suggested a collaborative approach with neighboring provinces to revamp Nova Scotia’s refund model to better compete.