Local community groups such as Scouts and Girl Guides stand to hugely benefit from proposal put forward by the NSW Government.
The NSW Government has agreed to implement a Container Legislation Deposit scheme if elected. The decision will benefit hundreds of local community groups like the 1st Hornsby Heights Cubs and Scouts who regularly clean up the environment by picking up discarded cans and bottles. The environmental clean-ups will now give groups an opportunity to be financially rewarded with refunds on recycled drink containers.
Cubs leader Lindy Herbertson said both the Hornsby Heights Cubs and Scouts had been involved in environmental clean-ups for years now and the refunds will allow scouts to extra raise money.
Hornsby MP Matt Kean shared the NSW Government's proposal with the community on Wednesday saying the decision would encourage recycling, reduce waste and make parks and beaches cleaner.
"All the evidence suggests that a Container Deposit Scheme is an effective way to reducing waste," Mr Kean said.
"One in three pieces of litter are bottles and cans.
"This scheme can lift recycling rates by 80 per cent and help financially reward environment efforts from community groups in the process."
If the NSW Government is re-elected the Container Deposit Scheme will be introduced by 1st July 2017.
The NSW Government's preferred model is a cost-effective scheme in which consumers, or a charity of their choice, receive a small financial reward for depositing a drink container in a reverse vending machine; but the Government is open to better alternatives.
It's estimated that at least 800 reverse vending machines will be installed across NSW – offering communities the opportunity to be rewarded for contributing to positive environmental outcomes in the places where they are most needed.
The government has decided that a state-based scheme, using reverse vending machines and targeting containers that are predominantly consumed away-from-home, will be both cost efficient and effective.
The container deposit scheme will complement, rather than compete with the NSW Government's existing kerbside recycling system and help with overall litter reduction and recycling targets.
Over the next 12 months the Government will consult with the community and industry on how best to implement the scheme, which will be underpinned by a comprehensive cost benefit analysis.
The final design of the container deposit scheme will be announced in 2016, and will include the use of reverse vending machines and an incentive for the community to participate."
The consultation with the community and industry will focus on:
- The location of reverse vending machines;
- The incentive for community participation;
- The scope of containers to be redeemable under the scheme; and
- The involvement of local government and the recycling industry in the scheme.
