KINGSTON, Jamaica – Red Stripe on Monday announced a 50 per cent increase in the bottle deposit for its products, with the brewery now refunding $30 for the return of each bottle and $840 for a full crate.

“As you know, we have experienced increased bottle shortages over the last two years and especially now with the delays in shipping and increased freight costs, new glass is much harder to source. Our red-cycling efforts have become progressively important in our production cycle to ensure sustained supply of Jamaica’s favourite brews to our consumers,” said Luis Prata, Managing Director, Red Stripe, in a press release.

He added that, “This, coupled with the fact that, it is important that we reduce our environmental footprint, renders it an urgent imperative for us to provide a greater incentive for closed-loop recycling of bottles, in which bottles come back into the production cycle and are cleaned and refilled with the same product. We are confident that the increase in the redemption value of our bottles will drive a culture shift so that buy-drink-return becomes a way of life in Jamaica while allowing for consistency in our ability to supply the market.”

With its durability, a glass bottle can be reused up to six times in the production cycle without losing its purity and quality, Red Stripe said, noting that recycling figures have declined over the last 10 years coming from a high in 2009 with 95 per cent of bottles being recycled to just 80 per cent in August of this year.

“Now, more than ever, we must do all we can to improve recycling rates so that fewer bottles end up in landfills, we deliver on our commitment of net zero carbon emissions in production by 2030 and we can supply market demand in a consistent and sustained way,” said Prata.

The company expects that the new value of bottles will result in a surge in returns. To facilitate this increased activity, returns will be accepted at wholesales across the island and at Red Stripe 214 Exchange in Kingston. Red Stripe reserves the right to reject bottles and crates that do not meet its quality standards, the release stated.