Now that Ontario grocery stores are selling beer, readers say they should also get into the business of taking back empty bottles.

My March 11 column about the closure of at least 10 Beer Stores across the city, and how it’ll make it harder for poor people to take back scrounged empties to earn a few bucks, prompted a hail of email.

The common theme was tit-for-tat: If competition from 450 grocery stores across the province is causing Beer Store closures, leading to fewer places to return empties, then grocers should be made to pick up the slack.

“Why not simply require any place that sells beer to take back the empties?” asked David Florkow, adding it “simplifies the process in an obviously clear way. Sure, someone will have to pay. Big deal.”

The Beer Store has always taken back empties, but with so many more places now to buy suds, its business has declined over the past couple years, to the point where it decided to close some locations.

It’s causing a “beer desert,” as one reader referred to it, in parts of the city, creating more distance between stores and making it hard for scavengers who collect discarded bottles to cash them in.

Mitchell Bernick noted that the Beer Store was required by the province to “expand the collectibles program and accept returns of wine and liquor containers, in addition to beer cans and bottles.

“That let the LCBO off the hook. The problem would be mitigated if the LCBO or grocery retailers accepted empty container returns and provided refunds.

“The grocers in particular have reaped benefits without any responsibility. How would beer sales at corner stores improve the availability of recycling?” he said, referring to a threat by Premier Doug Ford to expand beer sales to convenience stores.

Ellen Downer said her local Beer Store at Yonge Street and Summerhill Avenue closed a couple months ago, “so that yet another condo can be built,” leaving one less place to return empties.

“I’m losing faith in the recycling process and think the city/province should be providing other places for bottle returns.”

It “strikes me that the Beer Store has taken on an extra cost since we decided to recycle wine and spirits bottles there,” said Peter Omnet. “Why shouldn’t the new purveyors of beer/wine assume that cost?

“Since eventually we must abandon our plastic bottle madness, this would make the move to recycling glass bottles that much more convenient.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter