Statement from Tim Gray, Executive Director: Proposed Bill Could Keep Billions of Ontario’s Beverage Containers Out of Landfills, Incinerators and the Environment

MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon’s Private Member’s Bill announced this morning seeks to mandate deposit return for non-alcoholic drink containersÂ

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Today, we’re celebrating the introduction of a private member’s bill to expand deposit return to non-alcoholic drink containers. This is a common-sense policy solution to bottles and cans littered in parks, along roadways and in our lakes and rivers. It’s also a solution the vast majority of Ontarians support. Shamefully, Ontario is one of only two provinces in Canada without deposit return for non-alcoholic beverages, and as a result has the lowest drink container recycling rate in the country at only 43 per cent.

We encourage MPPs to support this bill’s quick passage through the Legislature so that work can get underway to keep billions of beverage containers out of Ontario’s landfills, incinerators and environment.

Background:Â

• Policy research by Environmental Defence estimates that upwards of 1.7 billion plastic drink containers end up landfilled, littered or burned each year in Ontario due to the lack of a deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverages.
• In 2023, the Ontario government established a stakeholder working group to explore expanding deposit return to include non-alcoholic beverage containers. This past summer, following vocal opposition from retailers, the government cancelled the working group and abandoned the policy.
• The Canadian Beverage Association, which represents big brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi has come out in support of Ontario implementing an expanded deposit return.
• Polling commissioned by Environmental Defence from Abacus Data earlier this year found that 81 per cent of Ontarians support deposit return for non-alcoholic beverages, and more than half want to be able to return their empties to grocery and retail stores.
• Ontario and Manitoba are the only two provinces in Canada without deposit return for non-alcoholic beverage containers
• The provincial government has set regulated targets for beverage producers to collect and recycle or refill containers: 75 per cent by 2026 and 80 per cent by 2030. The only proven way to achieve these targets is deposit return with accessible return locations, including at stores where non-alcoholic beverages are sold.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca