Minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment Chester Gillan has announced there will be no changes to Prince Edward Island's regulations on beverage containers; however, the Department will be partnering with other interested groups on a comprehensive campaign to address litter concerns, the Minister said.
Minister Gillan recently asked staff in his Department to look at the feasibility of charging a deposit on various types of beverage containers as a means of discouraging litterbugs and addressing the increase in the number of new beverage containers on the market.
"After reviewing various options, we have decided the best course is to leave the regulations as is and concentrate our efforts on public education," said Minister Gillan. "There are many groups which have expressed a keen interest in helping us. I am confident that together we can develop a first-rate program to reduce litter and protect our Island environment."
Under PEI's Litter Control Regulations, all flavoured carbonated beverages and beer must be sold in refillable bottles. That remains unchanged. The Minister noted refillable containers are clearly the most environmentally responsible option.
"The three ‘Rs' of reduce, reuse, recycle come in order of importance. The best practice for the environment is to reduce waste, then reuse what you can and, lastly, recycle items after they have outlived their reuse potential," he said.
"Using refillable bottles vastly reduces the amount of waste generated as one bottle is reused an average of 17 times. When you consider that almost 50 million beer and soft drink bottles are sold in PEI every year, the benefits are obvious."
Minister Gillan said his Department considered extending the deposit/return system on wine and spirit bottles to other beverage containers such as cans and plastic bottles; however, with the Waste Watch program to be launched province-wide this year and curbside recycling already available to all PEI households, he said it was felt that was not necessary at this time.
"I am pleased to say the Island Waste Management Corporation, as part of its educational campaign, has agreed to assist us in promoting the recycling of non-refillable beverage containers," the Minister said. "The Waste Watch blue bag recycling program will allow us to recover those containers and ensure they are being recycled rather than ending up in landfills."
Minister Gillan said his Department also investigated the idea of an anti-litter tax or a deposit on items such as coffee cups and other fast food containers, but decided litter concerns might be better addressed with a comprehensive anti-litter campaign.
"We want to give industry an opportunity to work with the Province and other interested groups to show that litter problems can be solved through education and awareness," said Minister Gillan, adding that his Department will evaluate the success of the program on a regular basis.
The Minister said the anti-litter campaign, which is still being developed, will include several components.
• Southeast Environmental Association will conduct a roadside litter survey in the spring to determine the amount and types of items being tossed in ditches. Additional surveys may be held in future years to measure progress.
• Provincial Conservation Officers will step up enforcement of littering offences in the PEI countryside, and several municipalities have pledged to do the same within their boundaries.
• The Department, in cooperation with key partners including the Federated Women's Institute of Prince Edward Island, beverage manufacturers, and restaurant industry members, the PEI Liquor Control Commission, and Tourism PEI, will develop a litter awareness campaign to be launched this summer.
• The Department will explore other anti-litter programs such as the Adopt-a-Highway program by which volunteer groups sign agreements to remove litter from their adopted sections of roadsides several times per year.
Minister Gillan said the tremendous work of the Women's Institute in raising public awareness of litter concerns through the annual roadside cleanup and other educational initatives has provided a solid foundation on which to build a comprehensive anti-litter campaign.
"Their work has certainly given us a head start, and I am encouraged by the spirit of cooperation we have seen from the many other groups we have contacted. I believe that bodes well for the success of a made-in-PEI solution," said Minister Gillan.