BEER company Red Stripe has underscored that there is no increase in the prices of its products despite a bump in the bottle deposit for its products.

The company, in a release on Monday, announced that it will now refund $30 for the return of each bottle and $840 for a full crate.

But Managing Director Luis Prata later told the Jamaica Observer that this does not mean customers will be asked to pay more for each drink.

“There is no increase in product price since the deposit is refundable to retailers [so] the increase in deposit should not lead to a price increase for our portfolio of products,” said Prata as he encouraged wholesalers to honour the new deposit price, and advised consumers to insist that they be paid $30 per bottle and $840 per 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. 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,” added Prata.

In the early morning release Prata said: “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.”

He noted that with its durability, a glass bottle can be reused up to six times in the production cycle without losing its purity and quality.

“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, 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,” noted Prata.