Beer Store Recycling Program Saves Ontario Taxpayers, Environment $40 Million

Beer Store's Commitment to Ontario Communities and to Environmental Excellence Highlighted in 2013-2014 Responsible Stewardship Report

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Through its $30 million investment in the expansion and renovation of its retail and deposit-return systems, the Beer Store, a global environmental leader, continues to improve upon its long-standing, award-winning system.

The Beer Store's Investing in Ontario's Common Future: Responsible Stewardship 2013-2014 annual stewardship report for primary and secondary alcohol packaging includes details on the Beer Store's deposit return system for beer containers and the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP) for wine, spirit, cooler and non-Beer Store listed beer containers. Earlier in 2014, the Beer Store, the Government of Ontario and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) celebrated the 2 billionth container returned under the ODRP program (in just over 7 years of operation).

"We've invested in our employees, our stores and distribution centres, and the communities in which we operate, said Beer Store President Ted Moroz. "This will continue in the years to come."

For the period April 29, 2013 - April 30, 2014, the Beer Store achieved the following milestones:

• 1.95 billion beverage alcohol containers collected - equivalent to over 90% of all beverage alcohol containers sold in Ontario;
• Of these, 1.65 billion beer containers were recovered - representing a 92.3% overall return rate for all glass bottles, metal cans and kegs sold in Ontario;
• 99% of all refillable glass beer bottles were returned - these bottles are used an average of 15 times before being recycled into new glass bottles - enabling brewers to sell over 962 million beer servings in Ontario in 2013-14 while only purchasing about 71 million bottles;
• 79.6% of wine, spirit, cooler and non-Beer Store listed beer containers (ODRP containers) were recovered - more than 2 billion containers have been collected since the program began in 2007;
• An impressive 88% of large ODRP glass containers (over 630mL) were recovered - over 50% of all ODRP containers sold were of this variety; and
• Recovery of more paper and plastic packaging than the industry generated - making the Beer Store's program net positive for the Blue Box and Ontario landfills

Combined, the Beer Store's beer container recovery program and the ODRP successfully:

• Diverted over 407,000 tonnes of beverage alcohol packaging from Ontario landfills - equivalent to over 45% of all materials collected through the Blue Box program;
• Saved 2.7 million gigajoules of energy - equivalent to over 460,000 barrels of oil worth $41 million; and
• Avoided approximately 196,000 tonnes of GHG emissions - equivalent to taking over 41,333 cars off the road for a year.

"Through investments, we've strengthened our commitment to environmental leadership," noted Moroz. "It's a part of our business and a part of our values. The Beer Store and its employees are very proud of our environmental record and the benefits that record delivers for Ontarians."

"I commend the Beer Store for their ongoing commitment to recycling and the diligence of Ontarians everywhere who return their empty alcohol containers," said the Hon. Glen R. Murray, Ontario's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. "These efforts have kept nearly 2 billion bottles out of landfills and reduced harmful GHG emissions by approximately 196,000 tonnes - the equivalent to taking 41,333 cars and trucks off of our roads in one year."

To download a copy of Investing in Ontario's Common Future: Responsible Stewardship 2013-2014, please visit www.thebeerstore.ca/tbs-environmental-report.html

Image with caption: "Investing in Ontario's Common Future (CNW Group/The Beer Store)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140903_C8391_PHOTO_EN_42610.jpg

SOURCE: The Beer Store

Brian Zeiler-Kligman
Director, Sustainability
Canada's National Brewers
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