Mattawa thinks it’s time to return more bottles.
There’s growing support among Ontario municipalities to include non-alcoholic beverage bottles in the provincial Deposit Return Program. Recently, Mattawa signed a resolution to support the cause.
The original motion was put forward by the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. The motion noted, “This initiative presents a unique opportunity to further promote recycling, reduce litter, and encourage sustainable practices among consumers.”
The motion aims to expand the Ontario Deposit Return Program to include non-alcoholic beverage containers. The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s mayor, James Leduc, noted, “We believe that this expansion will not only enhance environmental stewardship but also foster a culture of sustainability within our community.”
Last summer, the provincial government did consider adding non-alcoholic drink containers such as bottled water and pop but decided against the project. The Ministry of Environment, Conservations and Parks noted at that time, “a new, mandatory bottle deposit return system would add significant costs for small businesses and families.”
See: 'We feel hoodwinked': Ontario grocers wary of new recycling rules with alcohol sales
Environmental Defence, a Canadian environmental advocacy group, emphasized on its website that “Despite the blue box program, Ontario has one of the worst collection rates used for plastic bottles in the country.”
The group estimates “Over 1.7 billion plastic bottles are not recycled each year in the province. These bottles end up in landfills or our environment, including the Great Lakes.”
However, municipalities are continuing to push the province to add plastic bottles to the provincial Deposit Return Program, and Mattawa has joined the charge with its recent resolution.
Manitoba and Ontario are the only provinces that don’t have such a program in place.
Mattawa’s Mayor, Raymond Bélanger noted, “A copy of this resolution will be sent to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Minister of Finance, the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario, MPP Vic Fedeli, and all Ontario municipalities.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.