Plastic Cup

Plastic cup with a foil, peel-off lid.

Size	CRF Fee	Deposit/Refund
0 – 454mL	4¢	10¢

How to Recycle Plastic Cups

When recycling your plastic (polypropylene) cups, ensure that they are fully empty, and do not crush or flatten them. Bring your plastic cups along with your other ready-to-drink beverage containers to a Return-It depot to get your refund. 

Plastic cups can be recycled at all depots, including Express, Express & GO, and Express Plus locations. 

To find a depot near you to recycle your plastic cups, visit return-it.ca/locations.

Plastic Cup Deposit Refund

In BC, a deposit is charged for each ready-to-drink beverage container that is purchased. This deposit is returned in full when you bring back the empty container for recycling. Plastic cups are issued a 10-cent refund alongside the other accepted beverage containers part of the Return-It system. 

For a full listing of all containers that can be returned to a Return-It Depot visit https://www.return-it.ca/beverage/products/.  

How to Obtain Your Refund

If you sign up for Express, you can put all your empty containers inside clear, transparent bags (no larger than 90L in capacity). Simply bring the bag(s) to an Express location near you, label them, and drop them off. The funds will be issued to your Express account within 10 business days. To redeem the funds, you will need to log in to your Express account. 

If you are using over-the-counter depots to return your containers, you will receive your refund in cash at the time of return. 

What Happens to Recycled Plastic Cups

Over 75% of the plastic bottles sold are returned. The bottles are power-washed, then shredded, then power-washed again. From there, the shredded material is sold to companies who pull, stretch and meld the shreds into fibre for new bottles and buckets. Recycling plastics uses about 1/3 less energy than manufacturing new plastic.