Ontarians will be paying a deposit on wine and liquor containers starting Monday as the province brings into effect a new fee to promote recycling with its “Bag It Back” initiative.
A 20-cent deposit will be paid on liquor in glass bottles, Tetra Paks, and other containers greater than 630 mL while the deposit on small containers will be 10 cents.
In turn, customers will be able return these to The Beer Store, or other participating depot, to get that deposit back (The Beer Store will be paid 10 cents per container to take in empties).
Here in Rainy River District, return depots include The Beer Store in Fort Frances, Dev-Lynne’s in Devlin, and the residence of Marion Brumwell (316 Atwood Ave.) in Rainy River.
Eligible containers include bottles, plastic bottles, Tetra Pak containers, bag-in-box, aluminum, and steel containers purchased at the LCBO on or after Feb. 5.
Containers with a volume of 100 mL or less (e.g. 50 mL minis), as well as containers purchased at duty-free stores, and do-it-yourself beer and wine-making stores, will not be accepted.
Wine, beer, and spirit containers purchased before Feb. 5 do not carry a deposit and are not eligible for a refund.
Easy return tips recommended by the Ontario Deposit Return Program include:
1. Rinse your empty containers.
2. Do not remove labels from your empty wine/beer/spirit containers.
3. Store them in a dry, safe location using a plastic bag, a box, or bin (blue plastic “Bag It Back” bags can be found at LCBO stores for a limited time to kick off the initiative).
Customers are encouraged to limit their returns to 120 individual containers per visit. If the returns are to be in excess of that amount, more info on what to do can be obtained by contacting The Beer Store’s call centre at 1-888-948-2337.
Owned by the provincial government, the LCBO is one of biggest non-recyclers in Ontario.
According to the “Bag It Back” initiative website, the government hopes the deposits will increase recycling rates of wine and hard liquor containers by 30-40 percent.
It’s estimated the new system will prevent 30 tonnes of glass—or 80 million bottles—from going into landfills every year.
Returns at The Beer Store, which already charges deposits on beer containers, average about 96 percent for beer bottles and 90 percent for cans.
By contrast, one out of every three bottles purchased at LCBO stores end up in the landfill. About half of LCBO plastic containers and aluminum cans, and 75 percent of its Tetra Pak wine containers, also end up in dumps.
Only a small percentage of the bottles are recycled.
Locally, the Town of Fort Frances has been accepting glass containers, including liquor bottles, at recycling bins located outside the Public Works building on Fifth Street West.
This glass is stored until it is crushed and ground up to be mixed with asphalt for roadfill.
For more info on the Ontario Deposit Return Program, visit www.bagitback.ca
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
