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<\/a>The start of another work day.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThings have been taking off pretty good,\u201d said Hebert, who estimates he supplements his disability insurance with $100 a week earned through bottle picking. Hebert usually wakes up early, searching the area of Centretown west of Bank Street for bottles.<\/p>\n
The bottle return program, better known as \u201cBag it Back,\u201d sought to reduce landfill waste from alcohol containers of all sizes by concentrating the returns process through The Beer Store\u2019s existing collection operation. At the same time, by introducing the more lucrative 20-cent refunds, the province transformed the industry of bottle picking from cottage to cutthroat.<\/p>\n
More competition<\/p>\n
Hebert has noticed the rise in competition. Just last week, he said, he was jumped for his bottles near Bank Street.\u00a0 They were crack cocaine addicts, Hebert said, \u201cjonesing for some money to get their fix.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t go out at night to collect empties anymore,\u201d Hebert added. \u201cIt\u2019s getting really fierce out there now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celebrating the recent billion-bottle milestone, The Beer Store president Ted Moroz attributed the recycling program\u2019s high recovery rates to enthusiastic Ontario consumers.\u00a0 However, some Ontarians seem happy to forgo their deposits, letting others return their bottles for them.<\/p>\n
Anne, one of Hebert\u2019s regular customers, walks up to greet him. She used to return her empty wine and liquor bottles on principle (\u201cI\u2019m giving 20 cents to the government? No way!\u201d) but now she lets Hebert take them.<\/p>\n
After Hebert returns his bottles to The Beer Store, he doesn\u2019t have to go far to make his first purchase of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps me get my fix for the day,\u201d he explained. \u201cI\u2019ll get my couple beers and whatever else I can get for the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fighting it out<\/span><\/p>\n The Bag it Back program has also changed the view from the other side of The Beer Store\u2019s counters. Speaking anonymously for fear of losing her job, one Ottawa-area employee said she had witnessed violence between bottle pickers on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey fight on the streets to get their bottles.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that the higher rewards for bottles brought in a new breed of bottle pickers \u2013 those who don’t necessarily need the money.<\/p>\n \u201cThey come in here and pull out their wallets, and they have lots of cash \u2013 so it\u2019s not like they\u2019re desperate to buy booze,\u201d said the employee. \u201cPeople that would never touch garbage before are now digging through peoples\u2019 bins.\u201d<\/p>\n