Member for Bega Andrew Constance has welcomed the successful passage of the NSW Government’s landmark 10-cent Container Deposit Scheme legislation through Parliament yesterday.
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Mr Constance said individuals and community groups will be able to swap their cans and bottles for cash from July 1 next year, following the successful passage of the legislation on October 19.
“This is fantastic news for our region as kids, adults community groups and schools will be able to collect cans and return them to collection points for a bit of pocket money or as a fundraising possibility. There was an incentive to pick up rubbish take it to the local scrap metal or cordial factory and keep our local communities and waterways clean, we are on our way to returning that incentive,” Mr Constance said.
“People can be lazy and downright ignorant when it come to their rubbish. I would hope that the ability to collect a few extra dollars might see some think twice before throwing their bottles and cans out the car window.
“The Container Deposit Scheme’s introduction fulfils a key election commitment and will help the Government to meet the Premier’s Priority goal of reducing litter in NSW by 40 per cent by 2020.”
The Waste and Resource Recovery Amendment (Container Deposit Scheme) Act 2016 paves the way for a cost-effective, best-practice scheme that will benefit both the community and the environment.
Under the container deposit scheme:
- People in NSW will be able to return empty prescribed beverage containers between 150 ml and three litres to collection points for a 10-cent refund.
- A single Scheme Coordinator will be responsible for the financial management of the scheme and for ensuring the scheme meets state-wide targets.
- Beverage suppliers will be responsible for covering the costs of refunds through agreements with the Scheme Coordinator.
- The Environment Minister Mark Speakman will appoint the co-ordinator in early 2017, as well as appointing Network Operators who will be responsible for the operation of the scheme.
Containers not eligible for the scheme are those generally consumed at home and not typically found in the litter stream. They include plain milk, wine, pure fruit juice (more than 1 litre), health tonics and large flavoured milk containers.
Environment Minister Mark Speakman said he was delighted by the overwhelming support from all sides of politics for the NSW Government’s Container Deposit Scheme.
“This is something that the community has been asking their political representatives for decades and this government is finally delivering it,” Mr Speakman said.
“The 2015-2016 National Litter Index found that 49 per cent of litter by volume was made up of beverage containers – and 43 per cent of the total volume was containers that will be caught by the NSW CDS.
“This is a clear sign that there is likely to be a direct environmental benefit to our parks, waterways and beaches when the CDS comes in. Giving people a financial incentive to do the right thing will benefit everyone.”
More information is available at www.epa.nsw.gov.au/waste/container-deposit-scheme.htm
