When I sat down to research the state of the returnable soda bottle the other day, I was optimistic. I planned to fill a map with the North American companies that still use them. It turns out that returnable bottles are practically going extinct. The problem seems to be that that bottle washing facilities are wearing out and they are not being replaced.
There are a few exceptions. Prince Edward Island has maintained a ban on non-refillable drink containers that came into effect in 1973. The rest of Canada saw the use of refillable bottles drop from 47% of sales to 5% between 1985 and 1997. Coke lobbies the PEI government relentlessly about their ban.
I emailed several bottlers to ask about returnable bottles and I have so far only received one response. John Allen of Propeller Brewery told me that he was unable to bottle his line of sodas in returnable bottles because there is no local washing facility. Propeller buys washed bottles that have been used at least once before from Montreal.
John Allen would like to bottle his soda in returnable beer bottles because there is a local washing plant for this type of bottle. The Brewers Association of Canada does not allow this. I guess there are some logical reasons for this restriction.
I am still trying to get my head around the fact that the soft drink industry has moved away from refillable bottles while the Canadian beer industry has stuck with it. Some provinces use tax incentives while industry wide agreements maintain the status quo in others. 80% of beer (2002 stats) is sold in returnable bottles and 98% of them get returned. Comparing the return rate of beer bottles to typical recycling rates for plastic bottles is like comparing apples and oranges.
The beverage industry is very lopsided, with ginormous corporations and mom and pop stores packaging and selling what is essentially the same product. It was a pleasant surprise to contact the founder of a mid-size beverage company and get a thoughtful response. I am keeping my eye out for some kind of specific plastic related cause to push against and it is encouraging to find out that there are business people out there who are conscious in a broad sense.
Check out this ‘no longer maintained’ page for a relatively modern overview of the situation with refillable bottles… Reduce, Reuse, Refill!
