What Is the CRF?

A CRF (container recycling fee) is a non-refundable environmental handling/management fee (or “eco-fee”) charged by Encorp Atlantic to beverage producers to cover the net costs of collecting, processing and sending their containers to facilities for recycling. These are generally a few cents per container, and the exact amount set for each container depends on a variety of factors, including how cost-effective a container’s material type is to recycle. You may see CRFs listed on your receipt when purchasing certain beverage products.

A deposit is a refundable 10-cent (or 20-cent) “fee” that you pay when you purchase a ready-to-drink beverage product in a sealed container on top of the price of the item – intended to entice you to return the empty beverage container to a designated return location so that it can be collected to be sent to a facility to be recycled or refilled – instead of ending up in a landfill or as litter. Deposits are always listed on point-of-purchase receipts at retail. Before April 1, 2026, you would have paid a 10-cent deposit on certain beverage products and a 20-cent deposit on others – and been refunded half these deposits when returning the empty containers for recycling. Now, you are fully reimbursed for these deposits when you return empty beverage containers to  any designated used beverage container return location in PEI.

CRFs are set for each container type according to an annual calculation of the estimated net recycling costs. For example, it costs less to collect, handle, transport, and process plastic PET bottles than glass bottles. Based on pricing set in the marketplace, Encorp Atlantic may generate more revenue from the sale of PET compared to glass. Therefore, the net cost of recycling a glass bottle may be higher, so the CRF for that container may be higher compared to a PET bottle.

These calculations may change yearly, depending on volumes, costs and revenues associated with different container types. That is why CRFs set by Encorp may fluctuate depending on the net cost calculated each year.

No, Encorp Atlantic is a non-profit producer responsibility organization. None of the CRFs or the deposits go to any level of Government. The CRFs are charged by Encorp directly to beverage producers.

CRFs are common in many other provinces and reflect the growing movement towards eco-packaging and producers taking responsibility for the lifecycle of their products. There are costs involved in recycling beverage containers, and charging CRFs to beverage producers is necessary to keep PEI’s beverage container deposit/refund recycling system financially sustainable.

The money collected from CRFs, plus the money from the sale of commodities and any money left over from unclaimed (unredeemed) deposits, are used to pay for the collection, handling, transportation, and processing of beverage containers, as well as Program administration (including recycling promotion and education).

CRFs are environmental fees charged by Encorp Atlantic to beverage producers to cover the estimated net costs of collecting, processing and sending their containers to processing facilities for recycling. 

The current Regulations governing the Beverage Container Stewardship Program in PEI permit producers to recover the costs of their recycling program, meaning the CRFs charged by Encorp. Some may choose to absorb these costs, while others may choose to pass them on to retailers, who, in turn, may absorb them or pass them on to consumers, the same as they do for many factors contributing to price fluctuations for grocery items and goods. 

Producers/retailers choosing to recover CRF costs will usually include them in the total price of their beverage products or list them as a separate fee on top of the product’s price. In the latter case, the CRF will appear clearly on your receipt as an added fee, next to the deposit. The decision is left to producers and their retail partners.

Note that CRFs, sometimes referred to as “eco-fees,” are non-refundable as they intend to cover the costs associated with recycling the packaging for your favorite beverages. However, you can and will be full refunded the 10-cent or 20-cent deposit you see on your receipt for all applicable beverage products you purchase if you return their empty containers for recycling at any designated used beverage container return location in PEI.

Before April 1, 2026, you paid a 10-cent deposit on certain beverage products and a 20-cent deposit on others, and received half of these deposits back when you returned your empty containers for recycling. Under the new Beverage Container Stewardship Program, you now receive your full deposit back when you return your empty beverage containers to any local return location on Prince Edward Island.

To support this change, a container recycling fee (CRF) has been introduced. The CRF is a small, non-refundable eco-fee added to or included in the purchase price of certain beverage containers.* It helps cover the costs of collecting, transporting and recycling beverage containers across the Island.

As shown in the table below, when you return your empty beverage containers for recycling, the overall fees paid on certain beverage containers are actually lower under the new program than they were before April 1, 2026.

* Some beverage producers and retailers may choose to absorb the cost of the CRF, instead of passing it on to consumers. In these instances, the total cost to consumers is $0.00 (if the container is returned for a refund).