Refund deposit scheme welcomed
BY CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
A refund container deposit scheme announced last Sunday by the NSW Government has been welcomed by the Greens.
The scheme means most drink containers will be eligible for a ten cent refund at large scale depots, as well as standalone reverse vending machines.
The move to introduce a container refund deposit scheme was brought about by the government, but the Greens introduced a bill for one last year.
Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi said that the scheme was welcomed as evidence based policy by the government. It has previously been opposed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council, who launched a campaign that would see sporting clubs be paid to pick up rubbish by putting it into a “cage” that was lent to them.
“The community has long been campaigning for NSW to introduce a container deposit scheme and it seems like the Government has finally listened. Thousands of submissions were made to the process demanding that the Government not cave in to the big beverage industry and reject the flawed industry proposal ‘thirst for good.”
“Of course and announcement and implementation are two different things so we must remain vigilant that the big beverage companies don’t sabotage the process over the next year.”
“The Greens are strong supporters of evidence-based policy and I have had a bill to introduce a container deposit scheme in NSW parliament since last year so it is encouraging to see this important waste management initiative moving forward.”
South Australia adopted a container deposit scheme in the 1970s. The NT recently adopted a scheme.
Premier Mike Baird said it fitted in with one of the government’s twelve priorities, the reduction of litter by 40 per cent by 2020.
“Giving people a financial incentive to do the right thing and recycle drink containers will help to significantly reduce the estimated 160 million drink containers littered every year,” the Premier said in his announcement on Sunday.
The bill for the Funding of the scheme will be footed by beverage companies.
