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Reported by: Rhea Sankar, Sophie Bagot Jewitt and Christopher Noonan
Publish Date: 8th Sep 2024
Problem Identification:
Wine and spirit bottles are currently excluded from the NSW 10c Container Deposit Scheme (CDS).
According to the environmental advocacy organisation Planet Ark, the NSW CDS does not include the approximately 400 million wine and spirit bottles that are used in NSW each year.
The exclusion of wine and spirit bottles increases the carbon footprint of glass bottles and contributes to lower recycling rates in NSW by causing consumer confusion.
Context:
Solution Identification:
Advice:
Download the 1-page policy brief PDF here:
Public Support:
Supported By:
Boomerang Alliance https://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/cash_for_containers
The Australian Council of Recycling https://www.packagingnews.com.au/sustainability/call-to-include-wine-and-spirit-bottles-in-cds
Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia https://www.packagingnews.com.au/sustainability/call-to-include-wine-and-spirit-bottles-in-cds
Total Environment Centre https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-21/container-deposit-scheme-victoria-australia-wine-and-spirits/103748768
Where to go to learn more:
How to improve glass recycling rates: https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2022/august/glass-recycling
A deeper look into Queensland’s decision to expand their Containers for Change CDS: https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/336311/crs-discussion-paper.pdf
PlanetArk Environmental organisation advocating to expand the CDS in NSW: https://planetark.org/newsroom/news/wine-spirits-and-larger-drink-containers-could-be-added-to-nsw-container
Reference list:
Boaz, J. (2023, January 18). Australia's recycling crisis: Why our waste is piling up and what we can do about it. ABC News.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-18/australia-recycling-landfill-waste-glass-plastic- food-world/101813246
2. Will Victoria’s container deposit scheme follow Queensland’s lead on wine, spirit bottles? (2024, April 21). ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04- 21/container-deposit-scheme-victoria-australia-wine-and-spirits/103748768
3. CSIRO. (2022). Glass recycling: Breaking down the facts. https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2022/august/glass-recycling
4. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. (2019). National waste policy action plan 2019. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-waste-policy-action- plan-2019.pdf
5. Environmental Protection Authority NSW. (n.d.). Return and earn: container deposit scheme.
6. Exchange for Change. (n.d.). Container deposit scheme. https://www.exchangeforchange.com.au/_cache_51b2/content/6531970000008035.pdf
7 Green Industries SA. (2021). Circular economy and resource recovery report 2020-21: Summary. https://www.greenindustries.sa.gov.au/documents/circular-economy- resource-recovery-report-2020-21-summary.pdf
8. NSW Government. (2017). Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (Container Deposit Scheme) Regulation 2017. https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/sl-2017-0066#sec.5
9. Packaging News. (n.d.). Call to include wine and spirit bottles in container deposit schemes. https://www.packagingnews.com.au/sustainability/call-to-include-wine-and- spirit-bottles-in-cds
10. Queensland Government. (2022). Proposal to expand the scope of eligible containers in Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme – Containers for Change. https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/336311/crs-discussion-paper.pdf
11. Queensland Government. (n.d.-b). Eligible containers. https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/circular-economy-waste- reduction/reduction/container-refund/container-refund-types
12. Queensland Government. (n.d.-c). Expanding the container refund scheme.
Conflict of interest / acknowledgment statement:
N/a
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