Ontario is being urged by environmentalists and farmers to put a deposit on plastic bottles to protect fresh water.
Environmental Defence and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture say a deposit would boost recycling rates and raise $100-million a year to help protect the Great Lakes from threats like algae blooms.
They have written a joint letter to the provincial government making the request.
Ashley Wallis, the water program manager with Environmental Defence, says recycling isn't working.
"More than 50% of the plastic bottles sold in the province are currently not making it into the blue bin," she says.
Wallis says Ontario and Manitoba don't have a deposit return program and the other provinces have much higher recycling rates because they have a deposit return program.
She says currently, about 80% of litter in the lakes is plastic.
Wallis says wine and beer bottles have successful deposit return programs so why not plastic bottles.
"I know it's been a very long time since I've seen any of those littering the environment or in the landfill," she says.
Wallis says unredeemed deposits could go towards helping the Great Lakes like they do in Michigan.
