The province’s long-standing deposit-return program lets consumers return their empty alcohol containers for a refund of the deposit they paid when they bought the beverage. This has allowed billions of bottles and cans to be refilled or recycled instead of wasted every year in Ontario. 

Deposit return works. That’s why almost every other province has a comprehensive program that includes both alcohol AND non-alcoholic beverages like water, pop and juice. Ontario lags behind its peers when it comes to beverage container recycling and reuse. Fewer than half of all non-alcoholic beverage containers are collected and recycled in Ontario every year, a much lower rate than in provinces with effective deposit return. 

A comprehensive deposit-return system that includes both alcohol and non-alcoholic beverage containers would keep some 1.7 billion plastic bottles out of landfills, incinerators and the natural environment every year in Ontario. 

Send a message to Premier Ford, Environment Minister McCarthy, Finance Minister Bethlenfalvy, and your MPP today to tell them you want a deposit-return program for ALL beverage containers in Ontario.