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.

Supplied by Encorp

Intended for consumers and redemption centres – the poster explains the categories of beverage products affected by the April 2020 changes to the Beverage Containers Program.

Last updated December 11, 2020

Supplied by Encorp

Showcases numerous examples. List is non-exhaustive. Green check mark means the beverage product has a deposit. Red “X” means it does not. We update the tool regularly as new products come to our attention.

Last updated: January 4, 2023

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

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 September 15, 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 September 15, 2023.

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

Unacceptable Containers

On top of rejecting containers that are not deposit-bearing, redemption centres should be on the lookout for and reject containers which are not acceptable to Encorp due to being broken, contaminated, or unidentifiable. Be on the lookout as well for out-of-province containers, non-beverage containers and containers greater than 5 L as these are not  part of the beverage containers program yet are frequently retuned by customers.

Broken Containers 

• Bottle is shattered into tiny pieces – can no longer identify the container. However, if the bottleneck is intact, then the container is accepted.

Contaminated Containers

• Container is filled with organic or hazardous waste (ex: dirt, garbage, sand, mud, rocks, needles, cigarette butts, dead mice, bodily fluids, etc.)
• Container is covered in excessive dirt, paint, or other significant residues.
• Container was modified for other uses (ex: drug pipe).
• Container is altered in a way that makes it unrecyclable

Unidentifiable Containers 

• Container has had its label removed (cannot identify any markings or see the Return for Refund message)
• Container is flattened like a hockey puck (cannot identify any markings or see the Return for Refund message)

Out-of-Province Containers 

• How to identify them:
  • The label may still have the Return for Refund message; however, not in both languages – English and French.
  • Content volume may be only in imperial measurement – (i.e.: ounces) – not in metric (ml or L)

Non-Beverage Containers

• Container was not intended for a beverage – ex : chicken/beef broth, pasta sauce, olive oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, etc.

Containers Greater than 5 L

• Container’s volume is larger than 5 L (only beverage containers under 5 L are deposit-bearing)