Beverage Container Lists

Rules for Inclusion/Exclusion of Products – Beverage Containers Program

New Brunswick redemption centres accept and issue refunds to consumers for the empty containers of ready-to-drink beverage products they have purchased in the province that are deposit-bearing.

The current deposit and refund fee structure is shown below.

Accepted Beverage Containers
(Deposit-Bearing) 

Deposit paid = Refundable 

The types of beverages covered by the Beverage Containers Program are: 

• water and flavoured water 
• fruit and vegetable juices 
• beverages with dairy (such as milk shakes, milk protein shakes, coffee drinks, drinkable yogurt, drinkable kefir, eggnog) 
• plant-based milk alternative beverages not labelled as “fortified”
• plant-based milk alternative beverages labelled as “fortified” along with the warning “not a source of protein” 
• sports drinks (such as protein drinks, energy drinks and electrolyte beverages) 
• nutritional supplements not labelled as “meal replacements” or “formulated liquid diets” 
• soft drinks 
• beer, wine, and spirits 
• low alcohol drinks 
• cannabis beverages 
• other types of beverages not explicitly listed as not included 

Non-Accepted Beverage Containers
(Not Deposit-Bearing) 

No deposit paid = Non-refundable 

The following types of beverages are not included in the Beverage Containers Program (no deposit) at this time: 

• apple cider that has not been heated, pasteurized or otherwise processed 
• milk and flavoured milk, as defined under the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (also applies to goat’s milk) 
• plant-based milk alternative beverages that are labelled as “fortified”
  (Note the following exception: if a milk alternative is labelled both as “fortified” and “not a source of protein,” then it is included in the Beverage Containers Program and a deposit is charged.) 
• nutritional supplements labelled as “meal replacements” or “formulated liquid diets” 
• infant formula (labelled as “infant formula”) 
• concentrated beverages (must be mixed or diluted before drinking), such as powdered or frozen juices, cocktail mixers, syrups, condensed milk, creamers, coffee or tea concentrates, extracts and flavour enhancers 
• beverages in containers greater than 5 litres 
• beverages purchased outside of New Brunswick

Pay particular Attention – New Products Part of the Beverage Containers Program Since 2020

On April 1, 2020, changes to the Beverage Containers Program’s Exclusion Policy came into effect. Many beverage products (non-alcohol) that used to be excluded from the program are now deposit-bearing and their containers are eligible for a refund. Redemption centres should pay particular attention to these categories and are encouraged to review the educational tools provided and maintained by Encorp below.

Note that additional tools for staff training, such as quizzes and educational notices providing helpful insights and clarifications regarding beverage products for which there are often inquiries, are featured on our Education/Training for Redemption Centre Staff page.

Government Maintained Lists of Registered Deposit-Bearing Beverage Products

Supplied by the Department of Environment and Local Government.

List may be incomplete.

Current list last updated March 6, 2023.

Hit “CTRL + F” (Windows) or “CMD + F” (Mac) on your computer’s keyboard to open up the search box.

Supplied by the Department of Environment and Local Government.

List may be incomplete.

Current list last updated March 6, 2023.

Hit “CTRL + F” (Windows) or “CMD + F” (Mac) on your computer’s keyboard to open up the search box.