Ontario's environment minister admits the Liberal government won't succeed in keeping one of its biggest campaign promises — to divert 60 per cent of garbage from landfills by the end of 2008.

Latest figures for 2005 show the province is less than halfway to its goal, with 25 per cent of the province's waste diverted.

Environment Minister Laurel Broten said some municipalities have succeeded in reaching the 60 per cent diversion goal, but not all.

"We're going to continue to work very closely with municipalities with a view to diverting as much as we can," Broten said.

The province's latest initiative to boost recycling, a deposit fee on liquor and wine containers, is set to begin Monday.

The government hopes the program will capture 80 million bottles sold at Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores that would otherwise end up in blue boxes or landfills.

Corporate waste needs attention: critics

Some critics suggest the province is too focused on residential blue box and green bin programs and failing to tackle waste from corporations.

"Most of what is in the commercial sector's waste bins is highly recyclable," said independent consultant and researcher Clarissa Morawski, describing much of this garbage as recyclable paper, glass and metal.

She said successive governments have never been serious about getting corporations to take responsibility for their waste and packaging.

"Corporate lobbies are wealthy, they are powerful, and they have special people that they hire and pay them a lot of money to shmooz government," said Morawski.

But that could change. The environment minister said she thinks it's time manufacturers take responsibility for the packaging they produce.

Broten also said the government is promising to increase recycling. She's asked for proposals on recycling electronic equipment and on handling hazardous residential waste such as paints, solvents and batteries.