City-scale reuse pilot set to launch in Ottawa in 2026

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), through its Plastic Waste Coalition, has outlined plans for a new city-scale reuse pilot in Canada. Developed in collaboration with Reposit and a group of retailers, brands and solution providers, the Reuse City Canada Project is intended to test how reusable packaging systems could operate across an urban retail environment.

The pilot is expected to launch in Ottawa in the third quarter of 2026. It will explore the feasibility of implementing reuse systems at city scale, assessing consumer participation, operational practicality and commercial viability, with the aim of generating insights that could inform similar initiatives in other cities and markets.

Participating retailers and brands include Loblaw, L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Shoppers Drug Mart, Real Canadian Superstore, Unilever, Walmart Canada and Your Independent Grocer. Packaging and technology support is being provided by solution partners including Amcor and Avery Dennison, alongside Canadian circular economy organisations Circulr and IBM.

Under the proposed model, consumers would be able to purchase selected everyday products, such as personal care and home care items, in durable, reusable packaging from participating stores. A small refundable deposit would be applied at purchase. Once used, empty containers could be returned to designated in-store return points, before being collected, cleaned through professional washing infrastructure and reintroduced into circulation.

Reposit will act as the delivery partner for the initiative, overseeing system design, implementation and day-to-day operations. The company will work with participating retailers, brands and solution providers to ensure a consistent consumer experience across locations.

The project is expected to include shared return points, reverse logistics, integrated data systems and standardised return messaging in both English and French. These elements are intended to reduce complexity for consumers while allowing participating companies to trial a shared reuse approach within existing retail settings.

Reuse is positioned as a complementary solution alongside recycling, with the aim of reducing reliance on single-use packaging for certain product categories, while continuing to support established recycling systems for packaging formats that are not suitable for reuse.

Changing our collective relationship with plastic requires collaboration and creative new approaches – and Ottawa is an exciting breakthrough in collective action. This project shows how retailers, manufacturers, and system enablers can align efforts to deliver reuse at city scale. Through these kinds of partnerships, we can create credible evidence of what works and provide a scalable blueprint for other markets worldwide.

Cédric Dever, Director of The Consumer Goods Forum’s Plastic Waste Coalition of Action.

Transitioning from single-use to reuse requires more than good intentions — it demands collective action and systemic change across the entire value chain. The Reuse City Canada Project represents a large-scale collaboration between global manufacturers, retailers and solution providers, working together to design the infrastructure and incentives that make reuse accessible for everyone. This is an important step toward building a circular system that works at scale — one where packaging keeps its value, resources stay in use, and waste becomes a thing of the past.

Stuart Chidley, Founder and CEO of Reposit.

The Reuse City Canada Project is being funded in part by the Government of Canada and Handelens Miljofond, the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund and delivered with the support of the Canada Plastics Pact.