A new pilot program in Ottawa will test whether reusable packaging can work at a city-wide scale for everyday consumer products.
The initiative, called the Reuse City Canada Project, is led by the Consumer Goods Forum’s Plastic Waste Coalition in collaboration with reuse platform Reposit and several major retailers and consumer brands.
The project will allow consumers to purchase select home and personal care products in durable, reusable containers rather than traditional single-use packaging.
Under the system, shoppers will buy products as usual and pay a small refundable deposit on the container. Once the product is finished, the empty packaging can be returned to participating retail locations. The containers will then be collected, professionally cleaned, and redistributed for reuse.
The goal is to test whether a deposit-and-return model for everyday packaging can function efficiently across multiple retailers and brands within one city.
The pilot is scheduled to launch in 2026 and will involve several major retailers operating in Ottawa, including Loblaws, Walmart Canada, and Shoppers Drug Mart. Global consumer goods companies participating in the project include Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, and Unilever.
Unlike smaller reuse trials that operate within a single brand or store, the Ottawa pilot is designed to operate across multiple retailers and product categories. The project will also test supporting infrastructure such as container collection, reverse logistics, cleaning systems, and data tracking.
Organizers say the pilot will provide insights into whether reuse systems can reduce packaging waste while remaining practical for consumers and retailers.
If successful, the model could be expanded to additional Canadian cities and potentially adopted in other markets.
The Ottawa pilot is intended to help determine whether reusable packaging systems can operate at scale within existing retail environments.