Quebec deposit scheme adds milk cartons, exposing recycling capacity gap
Quebec's deposit-return system is being extended to milk and juice cartons, adding about 600 million containers a year that must now be recovered through Consignaction's network rather than kerbside collection. The province has only one qualified recycler, Sustana's Levis plant, whose current 3,000-4,000 tonne annual capacity falls well short of the 13,000-15,000 tonnes expected once the scheme is fully ramped up; Sustana plans a CAD 10m (USD 7m) upgrade, but it will not be ready until end 2028, against a regulatory requirement for 80% of these containers to be recovered locally by 2030.
Why this mattersQuebec's deposit mandate is outrunning local carton recycling capacity, leaving one recycler's 2028 expansion as the main route to the 80% local-recovery target.
- Quebec's deposit-return system is extending to milk and juice cartons, adding roughly 600 million containers a year to the scheme.
- Consignaction, the scheme operator, expects 13,000-15,000 tonnes of multilayer cartons annually once ramped up, starting at 5,000-8,000 tonnes.
- Sustana's Levis plant is currently the only Quebec recycler able to process this carton material, with capacity of 3,000-4,000 tonnes a year.
- Quebec regulation requires 80% of these containers to be recovered locally by 2030.
- Sustana plans a CAD 10m (USD 7m) investment to expand and modernise the Levis plant, due to be operational only at end 2028.
- From 1 March, about 5 billion beverage containers will fall under the deposit system, with 182 of 400 planned return points open plus 800 retailer points.