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Bill 32, Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Amendment Act (Beverage Container Deposit Program), 2025

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Current status:

First Reading Ordered for Second Reading

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Bill 32 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy

Act, 2016 .

Currently,

section 107.1 of the Act authorizes regulations governing the collection of

blue box materials. The amendments expand this regulation-making power by

allowing Cabinet to establish and govern a beverage container deposit program

and require and govern collection depots for blue box materials.

New

subsection 107.1 (5.1) requires the payment and refund of a specified minimum

beverage container deposit in accordance with the regulations.

New

subsection 107.1 (5.2) requires grocery stores and stores operated by Brewers

Retail Inc. to act as collection depots and provide beverage container deposit

refunds. It is an offence for Brewers Retail Inc. and grocery store owners to

fail to comply with subsection 107.1 (5.2).

Bill 32 2025

Act to amend the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 with respect

to a beverage container deposit program

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Section 1 of the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy

Act, 2016 is amended by adding the following definition:

“grocery

store” means a store,

(

a) that

has more than 4,000 square feet of retail floor space,

(

b) in

which food products offered for retail sale, excluding prepared food products

that may be consumed on site, occupy,

(

i) at

least 10,000 square feet of the retail floor space, or

(ii) at

least half of the retail floor space,

(

c) that

offers a variety of each of the following types of food products for in-person

retail sale, other than prepared food products that may be consumed on site:

(

i) canned

food,

(ii) dry

food,

(iii) frozen

food,

(iv) fresh

fruits,

(

v) fresh

vegetables,

(vi) meat

or meat alternatives,

(vii) dairy

or dairy alternatives,

(viii) non-alcoholic

beverages,

(ix) baked

goods, and

(

x) snack

foods, and

(

d) that

is not primarily identified to the public as a pharmacy, even if a pharmacy as

defined in the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act

is located within the store; (“épicerie”)

Subsection 98 (2) of the Act is amended by adding the following paragraph:

6.1 Subsection

107.1 (5.3).

(1) Subsection 107.1 (1) of the Act is amended by striking out “and”

at the end of clause (

a) and by adding the following clauses:

(

c) establishing

and governing a beverage container deposit program that complies with the

requirements of subsection (5.1); and

(

d) requiring

and governing collection depots for blue box materials.

(2) Section

107.1 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsections:

Beverage

container deposit

(5.1) The

program for the collection of blue box material shall, as described in the

regulations, require the payment and refund of a beverage container deposit of

at least,

(a) 10

cents for each beverage container that is defined as being a type of blue box

material by the regulations and that has a capacity of one litre or less; and

(b) 25

cents for each beverage container that is defined as being a type of blue box

material by the regulations and that has a capacity greater than one litre.

Required

collection depots

(5.2) Every

grocery store and every store operated by Brewers Retail Inc. shall, as

described in the regulations,

(

a) act

as a collection depot for the return of beverage containers defined as being a

type of blue box material by the regulations; and

(

b) ensure

that the person returning the beverage container is refunded the applicable

beverage container deposit.

Compliance

(5.3) Brewers

Retail Inc. and every grocery store owner shall ensure that the stores they own

or operate comply with subsection (5.2).

Commencement

This Act comes into force one year after the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Resource Recovery and

Circular Economy Amendment Act (Beverage Container Deposit Program), 2025 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

May 28, 2025

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

May 28, 2025

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

May 28, 2025

Carried

Ordered for Second Reading