All beverage containers sold in Alberta must be registered with the BCMB. This includes non-alcohol, alcohol and cannabis beverages. Scroll down to learn more.
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Alcohol container registrations have transitioned from AGLC to the BCMB. Click here for important information you need to know as a liquor agency or alcohol producer (manufacturer).
If you are unsure if the container you wish to register is considered a ready-to-serve beverage container and must be registered, please contact registrations@bcmb.ab.ca. Products such as soup broth, jelly shots, frozen containers, etc. are not part of the Alberta Deposit System at this time.
If you are unsure if your beverage container is recyclable and would like confirmation, please view the BCMB Approved Materials List . If you are unsure if the container you wish to register is composed of material(s) that are acceptable for recycling purposes in the Alberta beverage container recycling system, a Beverage Container Review will be required by the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC):
To be registered, beverage containers are required to note the brand, flavour, size and material in English. UPCs (barcodes) are not required at this time. However, if you are registering a beverage container and the container itself (not any external packaging) has a UPC it must be noted during registration.
Beverage containers with these requirements (brand, flavour, size, material, and UPC (if applicable)) only on a removable lid (cap) will be denied. Without the lid, all information including confirmation that the container held a beverage is removed. In order to sell and/or distribute these beverage containers in Alberta, additional labeling needs to be added to the container itself to meet the requirements (i.e. etching or printing required information on the side of the container).
"Return for Refund" or "Return for Refund Where Applicable" notes are not required on beverage containers. However, negative connotations of recycling are not allowed, and the container would be denied in these cases.
Submitted beverage container registrations that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. If a submitted registration is not accepted, the Registrant will be notified of the deficiency, and the beverage container must be registered again once the deficiency has been corrected.
To remain compliant with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), please ensure the labeling on your beverage containers follows the CFIA standards. The CFIA offers an interactive tool designed to assist here
Manufacturers decide if a container will be registered as non-refillable or refillable. If the beverage container is registered as non-refillable, it must be managed by the Collection System Agent (CSA), also known as the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC), using the Common Collection System. If a manufacturer wants to register their beverage container as a refillable container, they have the option of managing the beverage container on their own by acting as a Collection Service Provider (CSP) or contracting an independent third-party to act on their behalf.
All beverage containers are collected through the province-wide depot network. If refillable, beverage containers are prepared by the depot to be collected by the CSP.
Only individual beverage containers need to be registered, not packages or cases. In the case of a variety pack, please ensure the individual beverage containers are registered.
All beverage containers differing in brand, flavour, size, material, and/or UPC are required to be registered separately. The BCMB has 15 business days from the date submitted to approve registrations.
Submitted beverage container registrations that do not meet the requirements noted below will be removed from the system, the registrant will be notified, and the beverage container must be registered again once the deficiency has been corrected.
To register your non-refillable beverage container(s), you will need to complete the following:
The beverage container recycling industry is a UPC based system, where UPCs are relied on as unique identifier to an efficiently confirm container registration and recyclability within Alberta. If your containers do not have a UPC, please visit the GS1 Canada website for more information on obtaining UPCs or contact the BCMB registrations team to discuss options for proceeding with container registration.
Once the beverage container has been approved, the registrant will be notified via email.
Manufacturers who wish to register a refillable container are required to implement one of the following as a method of collection for the refillable container:
A CSP is defined as:
To register your beverage container(s) as refillable, you will need to complete the following:
When a registrant is no longer selling and/or distributing a beverage container (i.e. the product is discontinued), the registrant is required to enter the stop sales date for that beverage container.
For assistance, please contact us at registrations@bcmb.ab.ca