February 20, 2017
The Queensland Government is inviting public submissions on a container deposit scheme and a ban on light-weight single-use plastic shopping bags, both to start on July 1, 2018.
Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles released a discussion paper on the container deposit scheme on Saturday, and is inviting comments on the options it outlines until March 20.
“The paper was prepared with the industry and other stakeholders, and sets out options to ensure the scheme is workable and beneficial when it’s introduced in July 2018,” Dr Miles said.
“By introducing a 10 cent refund for every eligible drink container, we can decrease litter and waste, reduce the risk to wildlife, increase recycling, create employment opportunities and raise money for charitable causes, or let the kids raise pocket money.
“Queensland’s recycling rate sits at about 44 percent, one of the country’s lowest. Queensland is consistently the most littered mainland state. Visually, drink cans and bottles dominate our litter stream.”
Dr Miles said a 2015 NewsPoll showed 86 per cent of Queenslanders wanted a container refund scheme.
“Other parts of Australia already have such schemes – South Australia since the 1970s, and the Northern Territory since 2011. New South Wales has legislated to bring in its scheme later this year, and we’ll follow in 2018,” he said.
“Even though our scheme starts after the NSW scheme, we want a seamless system that’s good for the environment and friendly for business and avoids confusing people. The rules that apply to a bottle of soft drink sold at Tweed Heads should be the same for the Gold Coast,” he said.
Most drink containers between 150ml and three litres will be eligible for a refund under the scheme, with containers to be clearly marked.
But some drink containers would be exempt, such as containers for plain milk and milk substitutes, while flavoured milk, water, pure juice and wine containers over a specified volume or made of certain materials would not be included in the scheme.
“People will be able to take the eligible empty containers to a container collection point, which might be a permanent depot or a reverse vending machine, to receive a 10-cent refund,” Dr Miles said.
The Queensland Government also plans to ban light-weight single-use plastic shopping bags from July 1, 2018.
These types of plastic bags are already banned in South Australia, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.
The closing date for comment is February 27.
The Government’s discussion papers seeking public feedback on the container deposit scheme and plastic bag ban are available online.
