Deposit but no refund

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Have some empties you need to return? Well you better get them in by the end of January.
Border Service will no longer be collecting empty beer bottles in Rainy River.
Rolly Morrison said that the reason stems from a new provincially mandated program expanding the deposit system to all liquor and wine products sold at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario).
Effective Feb. 5, 2007 consumers will pay a deposit on every beverage alcohol container sold there. The Beer Stores of Ontario have signed an agreement to collect the containers in addition to already collecting beer bottles. However, in communities where there is no Beer Store they have relied on private businesses to collect the bottles as Border Service has done in Rainy River for the past 15 years.
Morrison said, “We don’t have the facilities or the manpower to handle the new (containers).” In addition to the extra space needed, Morrison said the new containers will require a lot more work for very little return. “We will have to sort them by size, brand and have a complete case before we can get a refund.”
Morrison said they met with a representative from The Beer Store last week and offered to still collect beer bottles but, “We were told it is all or nothing.” So as of January 31, 2007 Border Service will cease collecting beer bottles.
Morrison said he asked where the residents in this area will be able to return their bottles and was informed that Dev-Lynne’s in Devlin will be the closest as he was told that Emo will be in the same boat as Rainy River.
The intent of the new deposit system is to divert more containers away from the landfill sites.
Howard Hampton, MPP, said Friday, “How is this going to work in rural Ontario? It was clearly not thought through, adding, it was scratched out on the back of an envelope during a bi-election last fall.”
Hampton said almost immediately his party began asking how it was going to work in rural areas like Rainy River especially where there is no Beer Store. “In many places this is going to result in more glass going to the landfill, not less.”
He said it is likely that most people will not drive 50-60 miles to return their empties as it will not pay. So the result will be people will send their empty liquor containers and their beer bottles to the dump; in effect making the problem worse rather than better.
Morrison also noted that he feels it is unfair that people will have to pay a deposit they can not readily get back.
Hampton, who’s party is generally more environmentally friendly than the Liberals and Tories, said that he does support the idea of diverting the bottles away from the landfill but there has to be a way to make the system work in rural Ontario.
He also noted that the full benefits of the deposit system on the liquor containers is not being fully taken advantage of. “A beer bottle is reused, these (containers) won’t be. They will be broken down and recycled. The real value is in reusing them.”
Hampton said his office has a petition ready to go into regional stores and he is asking people to sign it. “All we can do is focus on getting them to make special arrangements for rural communities.”
The deposit/return rates will be as follows:
Glass bottles, tetra-pak containers, plastic bottles, bag-in-box, etc.
-less than 630 ml 10¢
-Containers over 630 ml 20¢
Beverage Alcohol Containers (aluminum and steel only)
-less than or equal to 1 L 10¢
-aluminum or steel containers over 1 L 20¢