Encorp Pacific

Encorp Pacific (Canada)

Company type	Non-profit organization
Founded	1994; 31 years ago (1994)
Headquarters	Burnaby
Number of locations	162 (2023)
Area served	British Columbia
Key people	Cindy Coutts (President & CEO)
Revenue	$249,080,000 (2023)
Website	www.return-it.ca

Encorp Pacific (Canada) is a federally incorporated, not-for-profit, product stewardship corporation with beverage container management as its core business. Their mandate is to develop, manage and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life products from consumers and ensure that they are properly recycled and not land-filled or incinerated. This model is commonly referred to as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or Industry Product Stewardship (IPS).[1]

Recycling depots

The Return-It™ network consists of independently owned and operated Return-It depot collection facilities that have collection agreements with Encorp, as well as corporate Return-It Express Plus™ locations and Express & GO™ unstaffed stations.

The Express system provides a level of consumer convenience by removing the need for customers to sort their containers and wait in line for their refund. Customers tag their bags, drop them off and are on their way within minutes. Express & GO locations are unstaffed solar-powered drop-off stations with extended hours and contactless service. Express Plus locations, Encorp's flagship, offer a convenient and cashless way to recycle used beverage containers and other small household items. There are a total of 162 depots, 90 in-depot Express locations,[2] 16 Express & GO stations and 2 Express Plus locations in BC.[3]

Beverage container deposits

Starting October 12, 2020, consumers are charged the unified deposit of 10¢ for all beverage containers covered by the Return-It system, and refunded 10¢ upon return.[4]

As of February 1, 2022, milk and plant-based beverage containers are also part of the Return-It deposit system.[5]

Return rates

Encorp Pacific has a government-mandated recovery rate of 75%, expressed in the Environmental Management Act.[6]

Year	Containers sold	Containers recovered	Return rate
2008[7]	1,379,887,232	1,064,064,122	77.1%
2009[8]	1,353,133,342	1,072,598,298	79.3%
2010[9]	1,277,506,339	1,027,105,322	80.4%
2011[10]	1,237,182,406	987,186,525	79.8%
2012[11]	1,237,108,765	973,327,078	78.7%
2013[12]	1,214,144,300	972,397,241	80.1%
2014[13]	1,224,579,061	968,583,632	79.1%
2015[14]	1,266,027,839	999,290,454	78.9%
2016[15]	1,282,922,473	1,000,749,811	78.0%
2017[16]	1,349,149,437	1,023,306,039	75.8%
2018[17]	1,350,852,403	1,045,466,471	77.4%
2019[18]	1,348,921,360	1,053,684,532	78.1%
2020[19]	1,362,935,045	1,038,180,271	76.2%
2021[20]	1,470,642,100	1,116,121,423	75.9%
2022[21]	1,661,071,520	1,272,480,416	76.6%
2023[22]	1,726,702,889	1,375,161,566	79.6%

References

1. "Who is Encorp? | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
2. "Express Locations | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". return-it.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
3. "Section 1. Executive Summary | 2023 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
4. "Deposit Changes as of Oct. 1st, 2020 | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
5. "Milk and plant-based beverages are part of the deposit system! | Encorp Pacific (Canada)". www.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
6. "Environmental Management Act: Recycling Regulation", Government of British Columbia, 7 October 2004, archived from the original on 17 June 2017, retrieved 31 December 2017
7. 2008 Annual Report
8. 2009 Annual Report
9. 2010 Annual Report
10. 2011 Annual Report
11. 2012 Annual Report
12. 2013 Annual Report
13. 2014 Annual Report
14. 2015 Annual Report
15. 2016 Annual Report
16. 2017 Annual Report
17. 2018 Annual Report
18. "2019 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
19. "2020 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
20. "2021 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
21. "2022 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
22. "2023 Encorp Annual Report". ar.return-it.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-07.