ABCRC FAQs

ABCRC helps Albertans recycle more than two billion non-refillable beverage containers every year. In 2023 alone, ABCRC collected and recycled 

2,159,705,100 beverage containers.

ABCRC recycles more than 150,000

different types of non-refillable beverage containers sold in Alberta.

In 2023, Alberta achieved an  85%

province-wide return rate for non-refillable beverage containers.

Beverage container recycling helps the environment by keeping useful materials out of landfills and by eliminating the energy demand and emissions associated with manufacturing new products from raw materials.

In 2023, the recycling of Alberta’s non-refillable beverage containers diverted

99,245,030 kg

of material away from landfills and into a useful future.

In 2023, ABCRC’s cost to recycle one beverage container was only

$0.08 on average.

The container recycling fee (CRF) is the amount beverage manufacturers are required to pay to cover the net cost of recovering and processing a used, non-refillable beverage container. CRFs are administered by ABCRC, and are used in their entirety to operate an effective and sustainable collection and recycling system

for the benefit of all Albertans.

The CRF amount applied to each beverage purchased in Alberta depends on the material the container is made from and the size of the container. Decisions by manufacturers to pass on the container recycling fee to retailers and by retailers to pass it to consumers are made independently. Some retailers choose to pass the fee on and show it on the receipt, while other retailers include it in the price of the product.

For more information, visit the About CRFs page or download the CRF Brochure.

$0.00

The beverage container recycling system in Alberta is self-funded, and ABCRC is a private company that is operated under not-for-profit provisions. No funding is received from any level of government.

More than 170 Albertans

are employed by ABCRC. Additionally, there are dozens of other companies in Alberta, employing hundreds of people, that are directly involved in the collection, transport and processing of used beverage containers.

Each year, ABCRC reaches out to communities through event attendance, education programs, recycling promotions and advertisements. As well, ABCRC provides  communities and not-for-profit groups accross Alberta with donated infrastructure, teaching resources, donations and event sponsorships to promote beverage container collection and recycling.