Released 30/06/2018
Acting Minister for Transport and City Services Mick Gentleman joined the Woden Valley Gymnastics Club today at the new bulk return depot in Fyshwick to mark the start of the ACT Container Deposit Scheme (CDS).
Minister Gentleman said the scheme would bring significant benefits to the Canberra community, with residents able to return eligible containers for a 10 cent refund, reducing litter and increasing recycling at the same time.
“Currently only about 30% of eligible containers in the ACT are recycled. With the ACT CDS, we are hoping to achieve rates comparable to similar schemes across the world - lifting recycling rates of eligible containers to about 80%,” Minister Gentleman said.
The ACT model of a CDS was developed in response to community feedback. Some of that feedback involved having social enterprises to be participants in the scheme.
“From today, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army have express return points in some of their shop fronts,” Minister Gentleman said.
“This will provide options for residents to donate the funds directly to a charity or collect the refund themselves – a model strongly supported by the Canberra community.”
The ACT CDS Network Operator Return-It have also partnered with not-for-profit organisation LEAD to provide potential employment for people with a disability.
The scheme will provide excellent fundraising opportunities for community and sporting groups. Robyn Trenton, CEO of the Woden Valley Gymnastics Club, was on hand today to return eligible containers on behalf of the club.
“I’m excited to see that the CDS has finally arrived in Canberra,” said Ms Trenton.
“Our club has been saving up containers to return, hoping to raise $5,000. With a national competition coming up on the Gold Coast in September, the CDS is going to help us keep the costs down for families.”
Minister Gentleman said the first 12 months of the scheme would see the scheme coordinator, Exchange for Change, and the network operator, Return-It, fine-tuning the return process as the scheme was bedded down.
“If there is no urgency to return your bottles and cans and can wait for a week or two, I ask for the community to be patient in its first few weeks to allow the charity shopfronts and depots a chance to become acquainted with the system,” Minister Gentleman said.
“Seven express and two depot return points are now open, with more being progressively rolled out in the coming year. By July 2019 there will be 18 collections points in operation across the ACT.”
Residents will be able to return up to 500 eligible containers at a time through express return points, located at Salvos stores in Fyshwick, Mitchell, Phillip and Tuggeranong and Vinnies shopfronts in Belconnen, Dickson and Tuggeranong.
The bulk depot at 151 Gladstone Street Fyshwick can accept any number of containers, and are particularly suited for larger numbers, which can be processed at speeds of up to 200 per minute.
The CDS aligns with a similar scheme introduced in NSW in December and existing schemes in SA and NT. Similar schemes are being introduced in QLD in December 2018 and WA in July 2019.
The scheme accepts containers most commonly found in the litter stream, including most glass, plastic, aluminum, steel and paper-based cartons between 150mL and 3L.
Ineligible containers include those not commonly found in litter, including all plain milk, flavoured milks 1L and above, pure juice drinks, cordials, wine and spirit bottles – all of these should continue to be placed in existing household recycling bins.
The start of the ACT CDS brings to fruition another Labor election commitment and one of the items on the ACT Labor and ACT Greens Parliamentary Agreement.
For more information on the Container Deposit Scheme, visit www.actcds.com.au
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases