Yukoners will soon be able to receive a refund on their milk jugs and be able to dispose of electronics and electrical products for free.

Starting next Aug. 11, milk containers, including soy and other substitutes, and drinkable yogurt containers will be refundable.

And, starting Oct. 11, Yukoners will be able to dispose of electronics, electrical products and any tire for free.

But to finance the disposal, surcharges will be applied on these products at the point of sale.

That means purchasing a laptop will cost Yukoners an extra $10 next fall.

The surcharge will be $12 for printers, $15 for desktop computers and $2 for cellphones.

For tires, the added sale cost will go from $7 for 17 inches and smaller tires to $50 for tires over 22 inches.

For electrical products, it will cost from $8 for a microwave to $2 for a hair dryer.

“It promotes more conscientious consumerism and responsible management,” Dwayne Muchosky, director of community operations for the Department of Community Services, told a technical briefing this morning.

The surcharges will also apply to online stores, said Jennifer Dagg, the Department of Environment’s manager of standards and approval.

“We’re working with industry to ensure that all retailers, regardless of where they’re based, accurately collect the surcharge for sale of this product and remit it to the Yukon government,” she said.

The regulations also give the department the option to contract an Outside agency to ensure retailers are complying with the regulations, she added.

But because similar fees down south are already in place, people used to buying goods there won’t see a difference, she said.

The changes also simplify beverage container refunds.

Two categories now exist: fewer than 750 mL and 750 mL and more.

For the first category, a 10-cent surcharge is applied and the customer gets five cents back when the item is returned. For the second, 35 cents are applied and the customer gets back 25 cents.

Milk containers, regardless of their size, will get the under-750 ml surcharge and refund.

The difference between the surcharge and the refund will go into the Yukon Recycling fund.

That funds pay for all the disposal costs.

The Yukon is one of the last jurisdictions in Canada to create fees for electronic disposal.

The Department of Community Services says it’s ready to handle products that will be disposed of in the first months of the regulations taking effect, but that won’t have had the surcharge applied yet.

“We’re prepared to deal with those products,” said Muchosky.

“This is about environmental stewardship, and we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to promote waste diversion and recycling.”

Muchosky was asked about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) during today’s briefing.

Under EPR, processing cost for the waste with the product are paid by the producers.

During a zero-waste conference held in the city in March, the strategy was brought up as a way to divert waste from the landfill.

“We believe the changes being made could be a step in the direction toward EPR,” said Muchosky.

“It’s been nationally recognized there are challenges in implementing EPR for the North,” he said.

The distance to market and small populations spread over vast geographic areas are obstacles, he added.

The changes were made in the Beverage Container Regulation and Designated Material Regulation.

It’s up to the cabinet to enact regulations based on powers given in different acts passed by the legislature.

Fore more information, visit YGrecycles.ca.