Canadian Springs, a Canadian supplier of large format bottled water products, has announced that it will move to introduce a bottle deposit program for its small format bottled water products. Effective January 1, 2009, all 500-millilitre single-use water bottles will be offered for sale with a fully refundable $0.25 bottle deposit or $6.00 per case of 24 bottles. Canadian Springs will collect and refund the deposits on all empty bottles sold to its commercial and residential customers and will work with its retail clients who wish to participate in the program.
“We are trying to lead the bottled water industry to be truly responsible and push the Ontario government to take action,” said Richard Stephens, Canadian Springs’ president.
“The bottled water providers need to create a reasonable financial incentive to encourage consumers to dispose of their bottles properly and sensibly,” says Stephens. “In jurisdictions that have introduced such a system, the litter problem has been virtually eliminated.”
Canadian Springs believes the 25 cents per bottle deposit is set at the right price point ensuring the deposit is valuable but not prohibitive. Says Stephens: “The fully refunded deposit has not been an issue for our 18-litre bottle customers as it ensures the bottles’ return and hence, environmental protection. We think the 25 cent deposit will be accepted by single-serve bottle customers. This is the responsible thing for us to implement and we expect a positive response from today’s environmentally conscious customers.”
