Ontario pop and juice recycling fee program halted as province looks into deposit-return system

An Ontario program that would have seen producers of non-alcoholic beverages like pop and juice pay container recycling fees has been put on hold.

The initiative, called “Recycle Everywhere,” was being launched by the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA) and was set to begin at the end of July after multiple delays.

But CTV News Toronto has learned the program has been halted.

“CBCRA has determined there is no viability to continue with the launch of Recycle Everywhere while the Ontario government adjusts the parameters for beverage container producer responsibility and explores a deposit return system for the recovery of non-alcoholic beverage containers,” Ken Friesen, executive director of CBCRA said in a statement.

“CBCRA has decided to halt plans to launch Recycle Everywhere in Ontario.”

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The initiative was part of Ontario’s new Blue Box regulations, which puts the onus on producers of waste to fund and run recycling systems.

Earlier this year a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment said that expenses associated with recycling costs taxpayers millions of dollars every year.

“Last year they spent over $168M to cover costs that the large corporations who produce this waste should ultimately be paying,” Gary Wheeler said in February.

However, the plan received criticism as producers had the option to offload the fees to retailers, who in turn would raise prices for consumers. The ministry—who has long supported the idea of companies being financially responsible for the waste they produce—has said multiple times they expect consumers not to see extra charges on their receipts.

As such, the government began to look into a deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverages.

In a letter dated June 27, obtained by CTV News Toronto last month, the government invited stakeholders to participate in a six-month working group tasked with reviewing how such a program would work.

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

• Ontario may adopt a return-deposit system for pop cans

Advocates have long called for a deposit-return system, arguing that it will be more successful at keeping beverage containers out of landfills. Ontario has a goal to recover 80 per cent of all beverage containers by 2030, and Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager of Plastics with Environmental Defence, says that will not be possible with the Recycle Everywhere program alone.

“We estimate that 1.7 billion plastic bottles alone are wasted in Ontario every year, meaning they go into the landfills or incinerators or even directly into the natural environment,” she said in May, adding that there is also no economic incentive to use a blue bin.

“Whereas with deposit return, you put that can in the garbage, you're throwing away 10 cents.”

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 was returned and recycled or refilled through a similar program. There was a 43 per cent collection rate for beverage containers and packaging through Ontario’s blue box system that same year.

In a December report, the CBCRA notes their Recycle Everywhere program in Manitoba achieved a 72 per cent recovery rate as of 2021.