Urge Ontario to follow through with expanded deposit return for beverage containers

Ontario has a new environment minister and we need to make sure she keeps the momentum on introducing a deposit-return program for non-alcoholic beverage containers.

Send a message to Andrea Khanjin to urge her to implement an affordable and transparent deposit-return program to reduce Ontario’s plastic use as soon as possible.

Click HERE to tell Khanjin we need a deposit-return system

Our current recycling programs capture less than 50 per cent of non-alcoholic beverages, while an estimated 1.7 billion plastic bottles are landfilled, incinerated and littered each year. Deposit-return systems — where consumers return their empties to the store for a refund of the deposit they paid when they bought the beverage — prevent pollution from billions of plastic bottles.

A deposit-return system would reduce waste going to the landfill by 100,000 tonnes per year, and litter by 8,000 tonnes per year in Ontario.

Ask Andrea Khanjin to ensure an effective deposit-return program for non-alcoholic beverage containers as soon as possible. This program should…

Be operated and funded by beverage producers with high targets for collection and recycling or reuse of the containers.
Ensure consumers can return empties to their local retail stores and other convenient locations to redeem their deposit.
Include a meaningful deposit.
Be fully transparent with publicly-accessible system data.
Ontario must immediately set effective targets for beverage container collection and refill to tackle the plastic crisis.

Thank you,

Karen Wirsig
Program Manager, Plastics
Environmental Defence