Refunds for bottle and can deposits will be going up on P.E.I. for sure — it’s just a matter of when, according to P.E.I.’s new environment minister.
Last spring, the province said the change would happen in August, to encourage people not to discard the recyclable containers as garbage in dumps and along roadsides. Then, the date was moved to this month.
But when Green Party interim leader Karla Bernard raised the question Wednesday, Environment Minister Gilles Arsenault wouldn’t put a timeline on it.
“We will assure Islanders that the price will be going up,” he said. “We will be doing the proper steps to make sure that this happens and we’re going to make sure that everybody that’s involved in this process is talked to.”
Currently, Islanders pay a 10-cent deposit on most bottles and cans and can get five cents back for the empty beverage container.
The government has promised to increase the deposit to 20 cents and refund 15 when the empties are brought in.
