What CBCRA does

CBCRA (Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association) is a not-for-profit, industry-funded stewardship organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It operates the Recycle Everywhere program, which includes Canada's first province-wide away-from-home beverage container recycling infrastructure, and partners with Manitoba municipalities to subsidize up to 80% of residential beverage container collection, sorting, and marketing costs through the Blue Box system. The organization operates under the Manitoba Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Regulation (195/2008), with a government-mandated target to recover 75% of beverage containers sold in the province; the overall recovery rate rose from 42% in the organization's first year to 71% by 2020, with PET containers reaching 79%.

CBCRA's core products and technology are operationally straightforward: free Recycle Everywhere bins deployed across communities, schools, businesses, festivals, and events; a secure online Steward Reporting System (cbcradatasystem.ca) for monthly volume submissions; and content-driven Promotion and Education materials distributed through community and steward channels. There is no proprietary software platform or AI component; the technology stack is administrative and web-based, focused on reporting, signage, and partnership coordination.

Revenue is generated through the Container Recycling Fee (CRF), a per-unit fee of $0.02–$0.03 charged to every beverage brand owner or distributor that supplies non-alcoholic, non-dairy containers into Manitoba, with a revised rate schedule effective February 1, 2026. Stewards include a diverse roster of food, beverage, retail, logistics, distribution, and health-product companies, and participation is mandated by provincial regulation rather than voluntary. CBCRA's go-to-market operates through two motions: a sales-led steward registration and reporting channel, and a community-led free-bin distribution model targeting municipalities, schools, businesses, and events. As of January 2026, Ken Friesen assumed a full-time Executive Director role with a stated goal of pushing recovery rates from 75% to 80% by 2030.

Name

CBCRA

Legal name

Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association

Website

https://cbcra-acrcb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CBCRA is a not-for-profit, industry-funded stewardship organization that operates Manitoba's Recycle Everywhere beverage container recycling program, funded by per-unit Container Recycling Fees charged to obligated beverage producers. It manages Canada's first province-wide away-from-home recycling bin network and subsidizes up to 80% of residential Blue Box beverage container recycling costs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beverage Container Recycling Stewardship

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated) (BPABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deposit Return System (DRS) / Bottle Bill Counting & Processing Centers (BPALADAK), Recyclables Transfer & Consolidation (Single/Source-Separated) (BPALABAD), Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Beverage container recycling
• Stewardship programs
• Container recycling fee
• Packaging stewardship
• Away-from-home recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Container Recycling Fee (CRF): Beverage producers supplying into the Manitoba market are charged a Container Recycling Fee (CRF) for every non-alcoholic, non-dairy beverage container they supply into the province. This fee funds the entire operation including infrastructure, signage, technical support, Promotion and Education. In addition, the funds pay for up to 80 per cent of the cost to collect, sort and market used beverage containers in residential recycling programs. The CRF ensures the cost to recycle beverage containers is properly accounted for and provides CBCRA with long-term sustainability to improve recovery rates and recycling efforts.
2. Steward Registration and Reporting Fees: Obligated beverage Stewards are required to report on volumes supplied in Manitoba on a monthly basis through the secure CBCRA reporting system. While registration is a prerequisite for participating in the program under the government-mandated framework, the primary financial contribution comes from the CRF.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CBCRA operates the Recycle Everywhere beverage container recycling program in Manitoba, providing province-wide away-from-home and residential recycling infrastructure funded by a per-unit Container Recycling Fee (CRF) charged to beverage producers. The CRF covers collection, sorting, marketing, signage, technical support, and Promotion and Education, paying up to 80% of residential recycling costs. Beverage brand owners and distributors (Stewards) register and submit monthly volume reports through the CBCRA reporting system to satisfy the government-mandated 75% recovery target.

Product overview

CBCRA operates a single unified product—the Recycle Everywhere Program—focused on beverage container recycling in Manitoba. The program consists of the Recycle Everywhere bins deployed across residential and away-from-home locations, the Container Recycling Fee (CRF) system that funds operations and covers up to 80% of residential recycling costs, and the CBCRA Reporting System for stewards to report volumes and manage compliance. The Recycle Everywhere brand encompasses education initiatives, infrastructure provision, and partnership coordination with municipalities, schools, businesses, and events throughout Manitoba.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recycle Everywhere Program Province-wide beverage container recycling program in Manitoba combining Canada's first province-wide away-from-home recycling infrastructure with subsidized residential Blue Box collection, sorting and marketing, delivered to Manitobans through community partners and the public.
• Container Recycling Fee (CRF) System Per-unit fee charged to beverage brand owners and distributors (Stewards) for every non-alcoholic, non-dairy container they supply into Manitoba, funding collection, sorting, marketing, signage, technical support, Promotion and Education, and up to 80% of residential recycling costs.
• CBCRA Reporting System Secure online reporting system at cbcradatasystem.ca that obligated beverage stewards use to register, manage Primary and Billing Contacts, and report monthly volumes supplied in Manitoba.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovery rate grew from 42% (first year, ~2010) to 71% (2020, 10th anniversary)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Manitoba Communities, Municipalities, Schools, Businesses, Institutions, Parks, Festivals and EventscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecycle Everywhere has partnered with communities, municipalities, schools, businesses, institutions, parks, festivals and events throughout Manitoba. Partners receive free Recycle Everywhere bins for their public spaces and simply arrange for the collection of recovered beverage containers with a recycler. Together they are enabling new products to be made, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing litter in streets and parks. This is Canada's first province-wide away-from-home beverage container recycling program.
• Manitoba Municipalities (Blue Box Program Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBCRA partners with Manitoba municipalities for residential Blue Box recycling, funding up to 80% of the cost to collect, sort and market used beverage containers in residential recycling programs. The program combines the convenience of a multi-material system with the performance of a deposit system at a much lower overall cost to consumers and municipalities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Recycle BC: Recycle BC operates British Columbia's residential packaging and printed paper recycling program under a similar Extended Producer Responsibility stewardship framework. It is the closest structural analog to CBCRA — industry-funded, government-mandated, single-province stewardship — though it covers a broader packaging scope rather than only beverage containers.
• Stewardship Ontario: Stewardship Ontario administers Ontario's Blue Box program under an industry-funded EPR model analogous to CBCRA's. Both operate government-recognized stewardship programs funded by producer fees — though Ontario's program covers the broader Blue Box stream rather than beverage containers alone.
• Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM): MMSM is the in-province stewardship program for non-beverage printed paper and packaging in Manitoba, operating under the same Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Regulation (195/2008) as CBCRA. The two organizations share the regulatory framework, geography, and steward base but cover complementary product categories.
• Éco Entreprises Québec: Éco Entreprises Québec is the EPR stewardship organization for printed paper and packaging in Quebec. It shares CBCRA's industry-funded, regulator-mandated structure but operates in a different province with French-language requirements and a broader packaging scope.

Others

• Reloop Platform: Reloop is an international circular economy advocacy organization promoting deposit return systems and producer responsibility policies. It is thematically related to CBCRA's mission and represents a global policy ecosystem that could either support or displace stewardship-fee models depending on advocacy direction.
• Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA): CSSA is a national alliance that provides shared services (including steward reporting) to provincial stewardship programs including CBCRA. It functions as an ecosystem service provider, supporting but not competing with CBCRA's operations.
• Canadian Beverage Association: Canadian Beverage Association is the national trade association representing beverage producers. Many CBCRA stewards are members, making CBA an adjacent industry body that influences but does not directly compete with CBCRA's program operations.

Emerging players

• Encorp Pacific (Return-It): Encorp Pacific operates British Columbia's beverage container deposit return system. While not a direct CRF-style stewardship program, it is the primary alternative stewardship model in Canada for beverage containers — making it a strategic reference point and potential long-term competitive threat if full DRS expands.
• The Beer Store: The Beer Store operates Ontario's alcohol beverage container return system. It represents the alternative stewardship approach (deposit-based) that competes conceptually with CRF-funded stewardship in jurisdictions considering DRS expansion.

Regional players

• Alberta Recycling Management Authority: Alberta Recycling Management Authority operates Alberta's recycling program under a similar EPR framework to CBCRA. Comparable in mandate and regulatory backing but serving a different province and a broader packaging scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CBCRA