Time to clean up: Why Ontario needs a deposit Return system for all beverage containers

Time to clean up: Why Ontario needs a deposit Return system for all beverage containers

Published Online: June 12, 2025

Written by: Samantha Millette & Clarissa Morawski

"Ontario’s beverage container deposit return system (DRS) is stuck in the past. Nearly two decades after it was introduced, the program still applies only to alcohol containers, leaving most beverage packaging, like water bottles, pop cans, juice boxes, and energy drinks, outside the system. Ontario and Manitoba are now the only two provinces in Canada with such a limited approach.

The result? Hundreds of tonnes of plastic, aluminum, and glass littering our streets, parks, and natural areas, and taxpayers footing the bill. A recent study by Eunomia Research & Consulting estimates that beverage container litter costs Ontario municipalities roughly $3 million each year, accounting for 8% of the $36 million total spent on managing ground litter across the province. ..."

Read the full article here.