Ontario Environment Minister David Piccini withdrew plans this week to introduce legislation to block a beverage industry group from imposing tax-like recycling fees on non-alcoholic drink containers sold in the province, after receiving assurances the levies would not be tacked onto customer receipts.
Three sources familiar with the government’s plans say Mr. Piccini was prepared to follow through on his threat and put a bill before the legislature this week that would have authorized the government to draft regulations to control the “communication” of recycling fees under the new system. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.
The advocacy group Environmental Defence argues this is the only way to hit the government’s aggressive target of an 80-per-cent collection rate for beverage containers by the end of the decade.The industry group behind the disputed beverage fees, the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association , says the revenue would cover the creation of a new recycling system for containers tossed out in municipal buildings and public areas and bring in about $80-million a year.
“Ultimately, it is our expectation that these large beverage producers pay for the cost of recycling and not impose any new fees on consumers,” the statement reads.