An Environmental Setback: RCA’s Take on the Ontario Government’s Decision to Put the Brakes on a Deposit-Return System
The Ontario Government recently cancelled the Deposit-Return Working Group and halted progress toward implementing a deposit-return system (DRS). The Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA) agrees with the Canadian Beverage Association’s (CBA) statement that this decision is a significant setback for the environment[1].
Based on Alberta’s history and track record, deposit-return systems are proven to work. Alberta’s robust and enviable deposit-return system boasts a beverage container return rate of 85% (2023), collecting over 2 billion beverage containers each year and diverting them from disposal[2]. The RCA is proud of its member organizations (Beverage Container Management Board, BCMB, Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation, ABCRC, and Alberta Bottle Depot Association) whose regulated DRS is leading the country in beverage container recycling success. They keep bottles and cans out of the litter stream and keep hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic, aluminum, and glass out of landfills, into material recycling streams[3].
Ontario’s decision to halt progress towards a DRS for their non-alcoholic beverage containers is a lost opportunity to recover valuable resources in a struggling system. Ontario is one of only two provinces in Canada without a DRS for non-alcoholic beverage containers and, as a result, has a beverage container recovery rate estimated at only 50%[4] – the worst rate in the country. With the recent decision to cancel the Deposit-Return Working Group, it seems Ontario will continue to lag behind other provinces and will not be able to achieve their own targets of a 75% recovery rate by 2026 for non-alcoholic beverage containers and 80% recovery rate by 2030 (per the Ontario Regulation 391/21 under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016). This is a major environmental setback given the enormity of the beverage container market in Ontario, where it is estimated that 1.7 billion beverage containers end up littered or in landfills[5].
There is support for a DRS in Ontario. A recent poll shows 81% of Ontarians support an expanded DRS system for non-alcoholic beverages, and more than half want to return their empties to the grocery store or other retailers[6]. Further, the Canadian Beverage Association’s 2024 budget submission outlines the sector’s vision for an expanded that meets recovery targets[7]. The CBA says it will continue to work towards a DRS for all beverage containers in Ontario; however, it appears that the Ontario Government is yielding to push back from grocery stores and retailers who are reluctant to give up footprint space in their stores to house the necessary infrastructure to support a take-back area for bottles and cans claiming increased grocery costs would result[8]. Since the people of Ontario want a deposit-return system; why not listen to them instead? The RCA wants the Ontario Government to get serious about achieving their environmental targets for beverage containers and follow the lead of Alberta and other provinces to move towards adopting a system that is proven, sustainably smart, and supported! If not, it’s just another setback for the environment.
[2] Alberta Bottle Depot, 2023.
[3] Alberta Bottle Depot, 2023.
[4] Eunomia Study, July 12, 2024.
[5] Environmental Defence, 2024.
[7] Canadian Beverage Association Budget, 2024