The department shared with the committee estimates of the costs to the average NWT household of the proposed beverage container recycling program. The estimates are $2.61 per month for households that return their containers to claim their deposits back, and $7.95 per month for households that do not return their containers.

The committee would like to remind the government that these are averages only, and that some households with more family members, or who consume more beverage containers than average will have higher costs. These costs may be significant for people with fixed incomes, and this should be reflected in the income support program.