Ontario may adopt deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverage containers

Ontario may adopt a deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverage containers, CTV News Toronto has learned.

The government has invited stakeholders from various sectors to participate in a roughly six-month working group tasked with reviewing how such a system could work.

Ontario already has a similar program facilitated by The Beer Store for alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and liquor.

In a letter dated June 27, obtained by CTV News Toronto, Minister of the Environment David Piccini writes there is an “urgent need to address the environmental challenges posted by single-use packaging waste.”

“As a solution, we are considering the adoption of a deposit and return system that has proven to be successful in other jurisdictions,” he said in the letter.

“Such a system would enable consumers to receive a refund for returning used beverage containers, promoting recycling, reducing litter, and encouraging sustainable practices.”

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According to the letter, the working group will consist of government representatives, environmental organizations, consumer advocacy groups, recycling industry experts and business leaders. They will meet approximately every two weeks as of July 20 to review existing systems, discuss infrastructure requirements and analyze economic and environmental impacts.

“We're really happy that this is happening,” Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager of Plastics with Environmental Defence, told CTV News Toronto on Thursday.

“It is time to get everybody around the table and figure out what the best system is and then get on it.”

Cans of soda pop are shown at a store in Montreal, Wednesday, December 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Wirsig said deposit-return programs implemented all over the world have proven to be more successful at keeping beverage containers out of landfills.

It’s for that reason that Environmental Defence has been fighting for an Ontario-wide program for over a decade.

“Really what we hope is that beverage producers are starting to put the wheels in motion today to make this happen,” Wirsig said. “What we don't want to see is just you know, a waste of six months.”

“We shouldn't waste any more time.”

ONTARIO RECYCLING LESS THAN 50% OF BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

In Ontario alone, about 1.7 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills, incinerating or directly into the environment each year, Wirsig said.

“That's an enormous amount of wastage, and that's only plastic,” she said. “This is why from an environmental perspective, it's just, you know, so important to have a good system.”

Ontario has pledged to recover 80 per cent of all beverage containers by 2030.

Environmental Defence said there is not a lot of accurate recycling data available, but the most reliable statistics comes from a 2020 report by Reloop, an organization that works with governments and stakeholders to reduce waste.

In the report, officials note that about 46 per cent of Ontario’s non-alcoholic beverages are recovered through municipal curbside recycling programs.

Wirsig said even with the province’s new “Recycle Everywhere” program, which imposes recycling fees on producers of non-alcoholic beverages, the province is not likely to reach its 2030 target without additional help.

The Recycle Everywhere program, operated by the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association, is set to go into effect at the end of July.

• Ontario producers of pop and juice face recycling fees next month. Here's how it impacts you

At that time, large waste producers—such as Coca Cola, Loblaw Companies ltd and Nestle Canada—will be asked to pay a “container recycling fee.”

These fees will likely be passed on to retailers, and then consumers at their discretion; meaning that individuals may see the fees on their checkout receipts when purchasing items like pop, juice or bottled water.

The fees vary between one and three cents per item depending on the container type.

Wirsig said that a deposit-return system would be an extension of that producer responsibility.

Under this kind of program, consumers would be charged a recycling fee when purchasing a beverage, but if they were to bring the cans or bottles back, that money would be returned.

In 2021, nearly 80 per cent of packaging and containers sold at the Beer Store were returned and recycled or refilled.

Deposit-return programs for non-alcoholic beverages already exist in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and British Columbia.