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CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Some grocery stores could stop selling alcohol ahead of new Ontario recycling program rules
A person carries in empty cans to The Beer Store in Ottawa on Aug. 16, 2025. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa) Some grocery stores could soon stop selling alcohol in response to a looming rule. Stores that sell liquor will be required to start accepting empty liquor bottles and cans through the Ontario Deposit Return Program starting Jan. 1, 2026, but the Retail Council of Canada is warning that some members say they aren't equipped to do that. In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Michael Zabaneh, vice-president of sustainability with the council, says the current compensation model, which gives retailers two cents for every container, isn't enough to offset costs. 'Given the cost and operational complexities of managing alcohol returns, some retailers are reassessing whether it remains viable to continue selling alcohol at all under current or proposed deposit-return conditions,' he writes. He says the plan poses health and safety risks and is costly. Some stores also don't have the space and staff to accept beer and wine bottles. 'While retailers support improving collection and recycling rates, this must be done through well-funded and scalable alternatives,' reads the statement. Returning a few dozen beer bottles to The Beer Store on Saturday morning, Peter Finnie says he often sees firsthand how much workers handle. 'I can't think of any stores that would be set up to do what these people do,' he said. He brings cans multiple times a week to raise money for the charity he works with, the Bytown Association for Rescued Kanines – or B.A.R.K. He says the job does not look easy for those inside. 'You have people who professionally collect bottles, and they'll show up and maybe have a couple of thousand beer cans and hundreds and hundreds of wine bottles,' he said. 'Now, if they showed up at some other place, it would jam them up pretty quickly and then you got the awful smell.' In a statement to CP24 this week, the Ontario Ministry of Finance says more than 400 grocery stores and convenience stores are already participating in the recycling program with more expected to join in the coming months. The Beer Store has an agreement with the provincial government to keep at least 300 locations open until the end of 2025. It will be allowed to close an unlimited number of stores starting in the new year when the new recycling rules take effect. Those like Martha Fenton say they hope it remains easy to bring back empty bottles and cans. 'If it does close, then I don't know what I would do,' she said. 'Might have to go in my recycle bin if grocery stores or corner stores don't offer that option.'
CTV News
09-08-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Grocery stores mull ending alcohol sale over Ontario's recycling rule
Beer cans are stacked as props in front a display of milk at a press availability attended by Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a convenience store in Toronto, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Ontario Premier Doug Ford's push to make alcohol more easily available to shoppers could face a setback as grocery stores reassess whether to keep selling beer, wine, and ready-to-drink beverages when new recycling rules come into effect in the new year. 'Given the cost and operational complexities of managing alcohol returns, some retailers are reassessing whether it remains viable to continue selling alcohol at all under current or proposed deposit-return conditions,' Michael Zabaneh, Retail Council of Canada's vice-president of sustainability, said in a statement to CP24. Stores located within five kilometres of a The Beer Store, which manages the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP), are currently exempt from accepting eligible empty alcohol containers. However, by Jan. 1, 2026, all licenced grocery stores will be required to participate in the program. Zabaneh pointed out that stores are not designed to accommodate bulk returns of alcohol containers, which could pose health and safety risks, staffing discomfort and product contamination issues. 'While retailers support improving collection and recycling rates, this must be done through well-funded and scalable alternatives in partnership with alcohol producers such as centralized depots, hybrid models, reverse vending machine hubs, or by using the Blue Box system for easily recyclable material like aluminum cans,' he said. 'The focus of the program must remain on achieving optimal environmental outcomes in a way that is financially and operationally sustainable for Ontarians.' According to the Retail Council of Canada, which represents independent retailers and national chain stores such as Walmart, Costco, Metro and Sobeys, establishments do not have the space and staff to support the recycling program. A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Finance said over 400 grocery stores and convenience stores are already participating in the recycling program, 'with numbers expected to continue to grow over the coming months.' 'This will provide more options to consumers looking to utilize the return system,' Colin Blachar said in a statement, noting that the expansion of alcohol sales 'provided new opportunities for small businesses and created new jobs.' Since the Ford government expanded alcohol sales last year, about 1,029 grocery stores have obtained a licence. On the other hand, dozens of The Beer Store locations have closed or are slated for closure, leaving some communities with limited places to return empties. The Beer Store has an agreement with the provincial government to keep at least 300 locations until the end of 2025. It will be allowed to close an unlimited number of stores starting the new year when the new recycling rules take effect. In 2024, The Beer Store said its locations collected more than 434.8 million empty containers through the ODRP. Through the program, consumers who paid a $0.10 or $0.20 deposit on containers could be refunded when they're returned.
