Got empties? Finding a place to return them in Ontario is getting harder
CBC
Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.
Once ubiquitous, Beer Stores have been disappearing from communities across the province. That doesn't just affect the purchase of alcohol, it also means fewer locations for consumers to drop off empties and get back the deposit paid on alcohol containers.
Grocers with alcohol licences were expected to start accepting empties in the new year, but a new agreement means they won’t have to after all. The changing landscape has left some neighbourhoods and regions essentially Beer Store deserts, and could mean less participation in the recycling program.
“That’s a big problem,” said Karen Wirsig, a senior program manager with advocacy group Environmental Defence.
“The Beer Store program has been essential for 100 years in getting containers back that can actually be washed out and refilled.”
In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto, Ministry of Finance spokesperson Scott Blodgett called the agreement “a win for businesses and consumers.” The ministry did not answer questions about reduced access to return points and the potential for lower participation.
The Beer Store would not comment on whether it intends to close more stores in 2026.
The Beer Store has operated a deposit return program for its own products since 1927, and for all packaged alcohol since 2007. A deposit ($0.10 to $0.20 for most containers) is built into the price of alcohol. Consumers can return their cans and bottles and receive a refund, with the containers either refilled or recycled.
According to the Beer Store’s website, eight out of 10 beer containers sold in Ontario are returned for a deposit refund. In 2024, the company says it collected 1.6 billion alcohol containers.
But the alcohol market in Ontario has changed.
The Ford government’s expansion of alcohol sales to grocery and convenience stores ended the Beer Store monopoly. Since 2024, the Beer Store has closed 119 stores across Ontario. The company has also announced four more stores that will close in the new year: in Haliburton, Schomberg, Whitby and Oshawa.
Grocery stores with alcohol licences located more than five kilometres from a Beer Store were already supposed to be accepting empty returns, though in reality few are. The rest, meanwhile, were supposed to start accepting them in January.
Many grocers had been lobbying against that requirement, and a new agreement announced last month means they won’t have to. The agreement-in-principle between grocers and the Beer Store will give grocery stores the option of paying the Beer Store to administer the deposit return program instead.
The president of the union representing Beer Store employees says the agreement is good news, as it will mean continued demand for Beer Stores for returning empties.
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