In its report, OLF outlines the current ocean plastics crisis, the role of beverage containers and their caps in contributing to ocean litter, and BC’s declining beverage container recycling rates, especially as they relate to small plastic bottles.

5 Key take-aways from the report – the solutions:

The Ocean Legacy Foundation calls on the BC government to update its regulated system with five key, evidence-informed recommendations:

Increase the regulated deposit rate
Add all beverage containers to the deposit refund system
Require producers to collect and report on the recycling of bottle caps
Raise regulated targets to at least that achieved by Alberta and Saskatchewan, with long-term targets matching the European Union (EU)
Enforce the regulated targets in a meaningful way, such as requiring producers to pay for the clean-up of ocean plastics equal to the amount by weight that they fail to collect and recycle