US EditionDeal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer and wine empties
Grocers will pay for recycling through The Beer Store while brewers ensure drop-off points within 10 km, preserving deposit returns and avoiding collection duties.
- On Nov. 26, 2025, Ontario grocers and The Beer Store reached an agreement-in-principle allowing retailers to avoid collecting beer and wine empties while preserving an empty-return system for deposit refunds, averting a Jan. 1 crisis after some grocers warned they would refuse to accept empties.
- Brewers and grocers, after months of negotiation, were driven by an earlier deal to speed alcohol expansion and warnings from independent grocers about licence risks and business closures.
- Grocers will fund recycling while brewers guarantee a recycling point within 10 kilometres for most residents, convenience stores remain exempt, and The Beer Store previously received $225 million during the transition.
- A spokesperson for Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy called the deal a win for businesses and consumers, averting a potential death knell for the Ontario Deposit Return Program and encouraging more independent grocers to apply for licences.
- It is unclear whether The Beer Store will adjust locations to meet the 10-kilometre commitment, with costs for grocers and consumers unsettled and no minimum of 300 locations required next year.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Deal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer, wine empties
Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached an agreement-in-principle on alcohol recycling that will allow the retailers to avoid collecting empties at their stores and gives a renewed role to the brewers, The Canadian Press has learned.
Ontario grocers could avoid taking beer and wine empties under new deal
Ontario grocers and the Beer Store have reached an agreement-in-principle on alcohol recycling that will allow the retailers to avoid collecting empties at their stores and gives a renewed role to the brewers, The Canadian Press has learned.
Deal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer and wine empties
Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached an agreement-in-principle on alcohol recycling that will allow the retailers to avoid collecting empties at their stores and gives a renewed role to the brewers, The Canadian Press has learned.
Deal reached to allow grocers to avoid accepting beer and wine empties
Ontario grocers and The Beer Store have reached an agreement-in-principle on alcohol recycling that will allow the retailers to avoid collecting empties at their stores and gives a renewed role to the brewers, The Canadian Press has learned.
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