For decades, Ontarians have been very good at returning alcohol empties to The Beer Store, and are ready to see this successful system expand to non-alchoholic beverages.  

However, in his rush to boost alcohol sales in grocery and convenience stores, Premier Doug Ford is setting up Ontario’s current deposit-return system to fail. 

Since last October, large grocery stores that sell alcohol and are more than five kilometres from a Beer Store were supposed to start accepting returns of alcohol empties. But so far,  we’ve only found one grocery store that is actually accepting them. 

Now, with Beer Store locations closing across Ontario, many communities don’t have a place to return their empties. 

Without adequate deposit-return systems, millions of beverage bottles will end up burned, in landfills, or discarded directly in nature. 

Unless the provincial government starts enforcing the rules for grocers, communities will have less and less access to return locations for their alcohol empties. 

Tell Minister Bethlenfalvy, who oversees the existing Ontario Deposit Return Program, not to let large grocery retailers off the hook. They must start accepting our empties!

 

Your letter will be sent to Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, the Environment Minister Todd McCarthy, and your Member of Provincial Parliament based on your postal code.