The Beverage Containers We No Longer Return: A Personal Reflection on Ontario’s Deposit System

In a couple of weeks, I’ll reach a milestone I’m pretty proud of: nearly two years alcohol-free.

My husband and I made this change at different times (he’s now about a year and a half alcohol-free) but it was really part of the same shift in our household. We were both at a point where we wanted to prioritize our health, and with two young kids, we were already learning that parenting requires a lot of energy, patience, and presence.

The reality was that life with little kids was already exhausting enough. We didn’t need anything else making it harder.

This decision wasn’t because alcohol was causing major problems in our lives. Neither of us were problem drinkers. It was simply a choice to focus more intentionally on our health, our family, and the kind of life we wanted to build.

And looking back, it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. But that doesn’t mean it has always been effortless. The hardest moments have often been social situations, like during Christmas family gatherings or at camp during the summer, when everyone around you seems to be having "the best time." Or during work trips when you know having "just one" would help take the edge off a bit, make it easier to chat with people and take that anxiety away.

But almost two years later, we’re both grateful we stuck with it.

An unexpected connection to my work

Aside from feeling better physically and mentally, there was one unexpected change I noticed after we stopped drinking: our household essentially stepped away from Ontario’s deposit return system.

For those unfamiliar, Ontario’s deposit return system currently only applies to alcohol beverage containers. Unlike many jurisdictions that have expanded deposits to cover a broader range of beverage containers, Ontario’s system is focused on wine, spirits, and beer containers. That's it. No water bottles. No energy drinks. No sparkling water containers. No iced tea or pop cans.

This means that since we stopped consuming alcohol, our household has essentially stopped interacting with the system altogether.

The only exception was earlier this year, when we collected containers as part of a fundraiser for our local Humane Society. It was a great reminder that the system is still there, but we are no longer regular participants.

Our kids raised $400 for the local Humane Society by collecting empty alcohol containers, the only containers eligible for deposit return in Ontario

As someone who spends a lot of time researching and writing about deposit return systems, it’s been interesting to experience this from the outside. I spend my days looking at return rates, system design, and consumer behaviour around the world, but personally, I am no longer a typical user of the only deposit system available in my own province.

Why system scope matters

Deposit return systems depend on participation. They work because consumers return the containers covered by the system.

My experience is a small example of how consumption patterns influence participation. When a household no longer purchases products covered by a deposit system, it naturally becomes disconnected from that system.

It also highlights the importance of system design and scope. The products included in a deposit return system determine who participates, how often they interact with the system, and how much material can ultimately be collected.

Nearly two years alcohol-free has changed many things in our household. One unexpected change is that it has given me a different perspective on a policy system I spend a lot of time studying.

Sometimes experiencing a system, or stepping outside of one, can provide insights that data alone cannot.