One of the most fascinating political figures in Canada right now is Premier Doug Ford—not because everyone agrees with him, but because everything he does sparks much-needed debate. As a Christian Anarcho-Capitalist, I support democracy while recognizing that modern society is still in its infancy when it comes to real democratic accountability.
So when I read mainstream articles trying to stir outrage over relatively minor issues, I pause to ask: Who writes this stuff? A recent piece by Allison Jones titled “Few Ontario grocery stores accepting booze empties, some weigh returning licences” misses the bigger picture entirely.
The Beverage Industry Has Sky-High Markups — So Why Can’t They Handle Their Own Recycling?
Let’s get one thing straight: beverages are one of the most profitable items sold in retail. The markup on soft drinks, alcohol, and bottled water can be over 1,000%, especially in restaurants. If you’ve ever wondered why restaurants push drinks so hard—it’s because that’s where the real money is made.
So instead of blaming grocery stores for not accepting returns, the real question is: why aren’t beverage producers responsible for managing their own recycling programs? These companies generate huge profits and could easily fund collection and recycling infrastructure—if the government let them.
But therein lies the problem.
Government Regulations Make Private Recycling Nearly Impossible
In Canada, and across much of the Western world, recycling has become a government-controlled racket. Regulations, red tape, and union interference make it almost impossible for private companies to set up efficient, scalable recycling solutions.
Take Canada Post, for example. It’s a publicly funded corporation, yet its union—the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)—regularly threatens strikes that inconvenience taxpayers and small businesses alike. When these demands are met, costs are passed on to the public, including small liquor producers and grocery retailers.
If private beverage companies tried to create their own recycling programs, they’d be buried under government fees, permits, and bureaucratic delays. So instead, we have an inefficient system where grocery stores are forced to act as recycling depots for a mess they didn’t create—often at a loss.
Reminder: Landfills Are Recycling, Too
The term “landfill” has become a dirty word, but landfills are, in a sense, a form of recycling. Many of the items thrown out could be profitably reused or repurposed—if not for overzealous environmental policies that demand recycling be done “a certain way” to meet ideological goals.
This environmental rigidity often blocks common-sense innovation. A perfect example is nuclear energy—a clean, scalable solution vilified by environmentalists who either don’t understand the science or reject it because it doesn’t align with their narrative. Modular nuclear plants have existed for decades, but only now are being embraced because someone finally figured out how to market them to a skeptical public.
Why Ontario’s Bureaucracy Is Finally Getting Exposed
Ontario has been under soft socialist governance for decades, and that’s led to layers upon layers of incompetence that are only now being exposed—largely because Doug Ford is taking action. Instead of issuing bold statements, he’s quietly making decisions that pull back the curtain on how broken some of our institutions really are.
The recycling debate is no exception. Beverage companies would gladly create their own systems if they could. But under the weight of government regulation, it’s easier to offload the burden onto grocery chains, who are now considering giving up their licenses altogether rather than deal with the hassle.
Conclusion: Let’s Have an Honest Conversation About Recycling
This isn’t just about beer bottles. It’s about a larger failure in policy design, where government interference, union demands, and environmental dogma have created systems that are expensive, inefficient, and unsustainable.
If this clash between grocers and liquor companies leads to a broader public discussion about how recycling actually works in Canada, that would be a win for everyone—including the environment.
Let’s stop pretending that landfills are evil and that more bureaucracy is the answer. Let’s start empowering businesses to handle their own waste streams—without government micromanagement.