Bill 32, Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Amendment Act (Beverage Container Deposit Program), 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill creates a beverage container deposit program requiring grocery stores and The Beer Store to accept returns and refund deposits.
Key Changes
- Adds a legal definition of 'grocery store' based on size, food product variety, and floor space criteria
- Gives Cabinet the power to establish and regulate a beverage container deposit program
- Sets minimum deposit amounts: at least 10 cents for containers ≤1 litre and at least 25 cents for containers >1 litre
- Requires all qualifying grocery stores and all Beer Store locations to act as beverage container return depots
- Makes it an offence for grocery store owners and Brewers Retail Inc. to fail to comply with the return depot requirements
- Comes into force one year after receiving Royal Assent
Gotchas
- The bill's definition of 'grocery store' excludes stores primarily identified as pharmacies (e.g., Shoppers Drug Mart), even if they sell groceries, which may limit the reach of the return depot network
- The deposit amounts set in the bill are minimums; Cabinet regulations could set higher amounts
- The bill gives Cabinet broad regulation-making power to define which beverage containers qualify as 'blue box material,' meaning the full scope of the program will depend on future regulations not yet written
- Smaller grocery stores under 4,000 square feet or those not meeting the food variety criteria are not required to act as return depots, potentially creating gaps in rural or underserved areas
- The one-year delay before the law takes effect gives businesses time to prepare, but implementation details will rely heavily on regulations that may not be finalized by then
Who's Affected
- Ontario consumers who purchase beverages in containers
- Grocery store owners and operators meeting the bill's size and product criteria
- Brewers Retail Inc. (The Beer Store) and its store operators
- Beverage producers and distributors subject to the deposit program
- Recycling and waste management industry
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill's definition of 'grocery store' excludes stores primarily identified as pharmacies (e.g., Shoppers Drug Mart), even if they sell groceries, which may limit the reach of the return depot network
- The deposit amounts set in the bill are minimums; Cabinet regulations could set higher amounts
- The bill gives Cabinet broad regulation-making power to define which beverage containers qualify as 'blue box material,' meaning the full scope of the program will depend on future regulations not yet written
- Smaller grocery stores under 4,000 square feet or those not meeting the food variety criteria are not required to act as return depots, potentially creating gaps in rural or underserved areas
- The one-year delay before the law takes effect gives businesses time to prepare, but implementation details will rely heavily on regulations that may not be finalized by then
Summary
Bill 32 amends Ontario's Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 to establish a beverage container deposit program. Under this program, consumers would pay a deposit when purchasing beverages in containers — at least 10 cents for containers of one litre or less, and at least 25 cents for containers larger than one litre — and get that money back when they return the empty container. The bill requires grocery stores (as specifically defined in the bill) and all stores operated by Brewers Retail Inc. (The Beer Store) to serve as collection depots where consumers can return containers and receive their deposit refunds. Failing to comply with these requirements would be an offence under the law. The bill was introduced by MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon and is currently at First Reading. It is intended to reduce beverage container waste by giving consumers a financial incentive to return containers for recycling rather than throwing them away.
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Vibes
0 responses