Toronto Environmental Alliance

March 11, 2008

The City of Toronto is considering a proposal that would provide an incentive to recycle batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs and paint cans.

Right now, the city says, only nine per cent of batteries are recycled. Most end up in the garbage.

The plan calls for a deposit fee on batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs and paint cans. Consumers would be able to take the old items to recycling depots and get their deposit back.

Environmental groups like the idea.

"What's at stake here is the health of our land, our air, our environment," said Franz Hartmann of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

"These things are going into our landfills. People are throwing them away because they don't have any other choices.  Deposit return systems work across the planet.  We have it with beer [bottles].  There's no reason it shouldn't work with batteries and other toxic products."

The hope ia a new deposit-fee program could have an impact on reducing the number of toxic material in landfills.

City staff  will present its proposal to council this spring.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/11/deposit-batteries