Deposit legislation introduced in Ontario - Municipal Recycling - container deposit legislation - Brief Article

Recycling Today, August, 2002

In June, Mike Colle, an Ontario legislator for the Greater Toronto Area, introduced Bill 125, which amends the Liquor Control Act and requires the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to institute a deposit and return recycling program for the bottles and cans it sells.

According to the bill, the LCBO Deposit and Return Act will ensure that "all liquor sold to the public on or after July 1, 2003 by government stores and stores owned and operated by wineries or manufacturers of beer or spirits is in containers for which a deposit is charged at the time of sale and refunded on the return of the container."

RE-News, an electronic news bulletin from the Recycling Council of Ontario quotes Colle as saying, "It's time for the LCBO to take responsibility for the costs borne by municipalities to collect and recycle the massive amount of glass containers sold every year in Ontario. It's also time to correct the double standard that exists in Ontario today where beer retailers shoulder the cost of a deposit return system but Ontario's monopoly liquor retailer does not."

As glass consuming markets have diminished, much of Ontario's glass has ended up in landfills, according to Re-News.