As communicated by the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Governmen (DELG), since April 1, 2020, many beverage containers that were excluded from the New Brunswick Beverage Containers Program (BCP) are now deposit-bearing.
Distributors must pay particular attention to the following beverages:
Milk shakes, milk protein shakes, drinkable yogurt, drinkable kefir, egg nog, iced coffee/tea drinks and other beverages made with dairy are now subject toa deposit. Real milk (cow/goat) – even if flavoured – look for ultra-filtered, skim, partly skimmed 1% / 2% or whole/homogenized 3.25% on the label – continues to be excluded – no deposit charged for consumers
Plant-based beverages – most of these now have a deposit. The plant-based beverage is subject to a deposit if its label either:
- has no mention of being fortified (which means the beverage is unfortified); or
- mentions being fortified, but also has a warning about not being a source of protein.
Plant-based beverages which are fortified and considered a source of protein (no warning on label about lack of protein) are excluded – no deposit charged for consumers. Most often then not, these are soy beverages.
Sports drinks like protein drinks and electrolyte beverages are now subject to a deposit. Other popular diet type drinks, specifically meal replacements and formulated liquid diets (check the label) continue to be excluded – no deposit charged for consumers.
Handy visual aids developed by Encorp Atlantic
Intended for consumers and redemption centres explaining the categories of beverages affected by recent changes to the Beverage Containers Program. This poster can also be a useful guide for distributors.
Showcases numerous examples. List is non-exhaustive. Green check mark means the beverage has a deposit. Red “X” means it does not. We update the tool regularly as new beverages come to our attention.
Register your products!
ALL beverages which are now subject to a deposit MUST be registered via the Department of Environment and Local Government. To register new beverage containers, please use this form:
If you are unsure about a certain beverage product and it is not listed in our reference tool, we recommend that you contact the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government for clarification (Mark Miller – Program Coordinator – 506-453-6329 – [email protected]).
Take note that this information and these tools are also available on our website’s Important Information for Distributors page.