Queensland to introduce Container Deposit Scheme in 2018

Cans for recycling
Queensland in talks with NSW to set up a single-scheme administrator.

The Queensland Government announced on 22 July that it would be introducing a Contain Deposit Scheme in the Sunshine State.

Set to start in 2018, Queensland would be the third state in Australia to implement such a scheme. South Australia has had a similar scheme since the 1970s, while the Northern Territory introduced one in 2011. New South Wales will introduce their scheme next year.

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles revealed the same day that Queensland and New South Wales had entered into high-level talks about setting up a single-scheme administrator.

“We want a seamless system that’s good for the environment and friendly for business. No one wants an outcome where the rules that apply to a bottle of soft drink sold at Tweed Heads, are different to the one you buy at the Gold Coast”, Dr Miles said in a statement. “A single administrator could cover both states to deliver the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness.”

The announcement was applauded by the Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA), who noted that the announcement was: “one more step toward a national approach to litter and resource recovery”.

“The proposal for a seamless system, through one scheme administrator, can deliver a more effective outcome than two separate state bodies; this is the start of a truly national approach to a Container Deposit Scheme and sends a clear message to other jurisdictions who are yet to consider a CDS,” said Martin Tolar, Chief Executive Officer of WMAA, in a statement.

Queensland’s decision followed a 2015 NewsPoll that showed 86 per cent of Queenslanders wanted a container deposit scheme.

Recycling advocacy group Boomerang Alliance said community organisations in Queensland could share in over $25 million every year from deposits and handling fees. The group estimates that around 2.4 billion bottles and cans are used in Queensland every year, and that the majority end up in landfill.

 

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