Fight for 10c back on bottles and cans!

Your comment will be added to this message

RE: Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impact Statement

I wish to make comment on the Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impact Statement

I believe that a 10-cent recycling refund for drink containers is the only effective way to tackle Australia’s growing problem with packaging waste and litter.

The beverage industry’s alternative – placing recycling bins in public places – will not work and cannot take the place of a proven recycling refund solution that is already working in many countries.

Placing recycling bins in public places will do nothing to reduce litter. These bins become contaminated and vandalised and are a huge burden on the finances of local government. On the other hand, a recycling refund scheme will save money for local councils, reduce litter and pay people to do the right thing when they recycle.

For years, under the National Packaging Covenant, recycling targets have not been met. We cannot let ineffective solutions and flawed industry schemes distract us any longer.

The Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) makes it clear the main packaging problem is beverage containers with overall recycling well below 50%, and away-from-home recovery at about 22%. Beverage containers need to be the priority for action.

A container deposit scheme will cost less than half a cent per container and will generate new sustainable recycling industries, jobs and investments. A recycling refund scheme also has the potential to support a network of recycling drop-off centres that could be used to collect electronic goods and other valuable waste material for recycling.

The RIS says a container deposit scheme is expensive because it requires investment in new infrastructure – but this is investment by the private sector in recycling systems, which should be encouraged instead of treated as a cost.

It’s important for the community to participate in recycling, but they have to know it will benefit the environment. Only a container deposit scheme delivers clean material for recycling so we can save maximum energy and resources and reduce pollution globally and in our communities.

3739 signatures (93%) towards our goal of 4000

4000

Read everyone's personal comments.

Invite Friends to Take Action

Tell your friends

Your rubbish could be earning you cash!

Did you know that this year Australians will throw away more than 10 billion recyclable drink containers?

When it comes to recycling, WA in particular has the worst track record in the country. Around 80% of drink containers consumed in WA end up in landfill or littering the environment. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

By putting a 10c refund on discarded drink containers, South Australia has achieved a recycling rate four times as good as ours while creating sustainable jobs, reducing pollution, and preventing millions of bottles and cans from polluting the landscape each year. The SA recycling refund scheme even supports charities and community groups, with SA Scouts alone bringing in more than $9 million a year by collecting bottles and cans.

Soon, other states including Western Australia could be enjoying the benefits of a nation-wide recycling refund scheme! A working group with members from each State and Territory government has been considering the issue and is now seeking community feedback on their recently released options paper.

The Northern Territory is the latest place to wake up to the benefits of a 10c recycling refund.

Say yes to a national 10c recycling refund on bottles and cans!

We have prepared a basic submission for you, but if you would like to make more of an impact you can include a personal message on why you personally want a recycling refund on bottles and cans. We have a few key points you may like to mention bellow:

Most days I see beverage containers littering [my street/park/river/beach]. With a container deposit scheme these will disappear because a Container Deposit Scheme creates a financial incentive for collection.
By having a cash value, the bottle, can or cardboard carton is no longer seen as just rubbish. Even discarded empties are likely to be collected by somebody else to reclaim their value.
Charities and community groups can benefit greatly by collecting drink containers for refund. Annually, Scouts in SA raise millions by running collection points, enabling their membership fees to be the lowest in Australia.
A container deposit scheme will attract new industries to WA and create more than 1,000 new sustainable jobs
A container deposit scheme would save enough water to permanently supply more than 4,014 Perth homes. This is a serious advantage for water-stressed WA.
Making a new can from recycled aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make a can from raw materials. By encouraging recycling, a container deposit scheme will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality.

RIS online action image_0.png