Eco Fee, Recycling Fee, Environmental Fee? Just a Cash Grab!

Here's a weird thing we have in Canada, the 'environmental fee', 'eco fee' or 'recycling fee'. It appears on your bill after buying items such as cartons of juice, cans of beer, ear buds, paint, even a microwave!
What on earth is all that about?
When we first came to Canada, I saw the fee pop up on the screen when the cashier scanned some juice in a box.
'What's that?' I dumbly asked.
'That's the recycling fee,' she patiently replied.
'So when I recycle that carton, I get the money back then?' I asked hopefully.
'No, you don't get it back.' She was starting to lose her patience by now.
'So I'm charged a fee for something that I can recycle, but when I do recycle it, I do it for free?' I just wanted to clarify this surreal concept.
'Basically, yeah. That'll be $35, how are you paying?' She looked at the growing line behind me then shot an impatient glance at my purse.
'Debit, who makes these rules then?' I wasn't finished yet as I tapped in my PIN.
She was though, 'the Government, thank you and have a great day.' She droned insincerely.
When I buy a can of paint I am charged an eco fee. Okay, so it's only 60 cents, but I'm annoyed at the principle of it. On Home Depot's website it explains what the fee is for,




''Eco-fees cover the collection, transportation, recycling or safe disposal of hazardous and special materials, which currently have provincially run recycling programs in place.''




So where are these provincially run recycling programs? There may be one at our local refuse tip, but as they charge an arm and a leg to allow you the privilege of dumping your garbage there, we never go.


In fact the only things we can get the fee back on is beer cans and bottles. Not just any beer cans though. They have to be Canadian beer cans. If you have bought beer from the States (as many people do as it's so much cheaper even with the poor exchange rate) and the beer vendor spots the cans from USA (they are not metric like ours), they'll refuse to take them. Nor will they give you money back on any cans that originated from UK or any Canadian cans or bottles that had cider in them - apparently.


I may be missing something here, but am I the only person who just doesn't get it? Perhaps when we move to another Province, things may be different and I can recycle everything and get paid for doing it! I'm not holding my breath though....