Jim Goetz – Solid Waste & Recycling magazine
A tax-deposit system is one that combines specialized product taxation with a container recycling deposit, much like what is currently in place for alcoholic beverages in Ontario. It has been suggested that a system like this could prove beneficial to public health and the rising obesity issue in Canada if applied to sugar-sweetened beverages, but this is simply not the case for two reasons:
First, proposing higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages fails to consider the changing consumption trends that are already occurring in Canada; and second, tying these taxes together with a deposit recycling system for refreshment beverage containers under the umbrella of an anti-obesity strategy is illogical, with no foundation in reason or any proven health outcomes.
Public health and environmental stewardship are two separate and serious issues for our country — both of which the refreshment beverage industry is highly cognizant of and actively engaged in initiatives to improve.