The organization that oversees Quebec’s bottle deposit system is making changes to its operations in Gatineau to address an influx in people looking to collect deposits on empties, including residents from Ontario with ineligible bottles and cans. Consignaction is reporting “exceptional wait times” as its site on Jean-Proulx Street in Gatineau, “partly from the region’s proximity” to the Ottawa area. The new measures include four new Consignaction locations opening in the coming months across Gatineau, and a requirement that Ontarians only use “Express Return” service for empties. People drop off unsorted containers at the “Express Return” location, and the refund available through the app at a later date. “We are very aware of the inconvenience caused by the exceptional wait times at the Consignaction+ return site in Gatineau,” Jean-François Lefort, vice-president of strategy at Consignaction, said in a statement. “While we have already extended hours and added resources on site, we see the need to do more. We will therefore quickly increase the network’s capacity in Gatineau and tighten our processes to ensure that only the deposits actually paid in Quebec are refunded and that Gatineau citizens benefit from the service to which they are entitled.” Only cans and other containers purchased in Quebec are eligible for the deposit return at Consignaction. The deposit amount is 10 cents on the majority of beverage containers in Quebec, while certain 500 ml to 2 litre glass bottles are subject to a $0.25 deposit. In Ontario, the Ontario Deposit Return Program allows customers to return empty alcohol containers to The Beer Store and participating grocery stores for a refund on the deposit that was paid when buying the item. According to Consignaction, it is “illegal to receive deposit refunds in Quebec for containers purchased outside the province and for which no deposit is paid.” New measures are also being put into place to prevent the refund of deposits on containers purchased outside of Quebec. “As a result, residents of Ontario who wish to recover the deposit they paid in Quebec will now be required to use Express Return service exclusively,” Consignaction said. “Consignaction also reserves the right to implement additional verification mechanisms to confirm that the containers were indeed purchased in Quebec and that the deposit was paid there.” The four new Consignaction locations in Gatineau are: Officials say three more sites will open across Gatineau soon, adding the new locations will “significantly increase the recycling capacity and provide more options to citizens.”
