Greens draft a container deposit scheme Bill for NSW

New South Wales could soon become the seventh state or territory to have a container deposit scheme (CDS) if a Greens Bill is passed.

A CDS involves consumers paying a 10-cent deposit, which is included in the purchase price, on bottles and cans. By returning the containers to a designated recycling agent, consumers can recoup the deposit.

“The introduction of a CDS in NSW would help us reduce the amount of containers that are ending up in our environment and increase recycling rates of beverage containers from 40 to 80%,” said Clean Up Australia founder and chairperson Ian Kiernan AO.

Kiernan said beverage-related rubbish is the most common rubbish type collected on Clean Up Australia Day, constituting 48% of reported rubbish across the country.

Federal and state environment ministers will meet in August to decide whether to implement either a national refund scheme or public place recycling.

Kiernan is calling on the community to lobby state ministers to support a CDS in August.