Support us in the call for a Container Deposit Scheme

The Federal and State Environment Minsters are currently investigating a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) and will make a decision in August 2012. With a YES vote to a CDS we are on the way to reduce rubbish in our environment and increase recycling rates of beverage containers from currently 40% to up to 80%.

We need your help to achieve this YES. We know that 90% of the community supports a national container deposit scheme. Show our ministers what you think about a Container Deposit Scheme. Use our online Ministers Letter tool to send a note to your State Minister.

-> Write a letter to your Minister now!  

Why we need a Container Deposit Scheme

We all use beverage containers every day to hold our soft drink, water, milk, fruit juice and alcohol.

… but they can be a killer 

Australians use up to 13 billion containers every year. Beverage related rubbish is the most common type found by our volunteers on Clean Up Australia Day. Across the country it represents 48% of reported rubbish. When bottles and cans end up in the environment they are not just an eyesore they harm wildlife, becoming killers if mistaken for food. 

So why not reuse them?

All containers, whether they are glass, metal or plastic, are made from materials that are in finite supply. These materials can be remanufactured many times when they are collected correctly, saving energy, water and virgin stock.

Glass and metal containers can be cleaned and reused or crushed for remanufacture.

Containers that have been designed for single use e.g., soft drink and water plastic bottles, should not be reused, as they have chemicals within their make-up that leach. This is especially a problem with bottles that are stored in cars that have been parked in the sun.

Recycling is good but a Container Deposit Scheme is even better

Recycling is an effective and easy way of collecting materials for remanufacturing, but the recycling of beverage containers, in particular those consumed away-from-home, is poor with rates of recycling for glass as low as 40% and plastics (PET) a shameful 27%.

There are many people, including high profile brands within the beverage industry, who support public place recycling as the preferred option to increase recycling rates. But for the vast number of non-managed public place recycling bins, the level of contamination is between 10-20%. Anything above 3% is sent to landfill. Why would this be a good solution to our rubbish problem?

A 10cent deposit gives people an incentive for returning containers for recycling. This is where a Container Refund Scheme plays a vital role because it establishes a system that is proven to increase recycling rates around the world. South Australia has had a Container Deposit scheme in place for over 30 years and has a proud recycling rate of 75-85%. The Northern Territory launched their scheme in January – already reporting around 6 million containers that have been diverted from landfill or our environment.

How does a Container Refund Scheme work?

It’s just as easy as purchasing the drink. You pay a 10cent deposit which is included in your purchase price, enjoy your refreshment and then you return your container to a designated recycling agent to receive your cash back. This is what makes it a deposit versus a tax. The 10c keeps going around and around. Check out this video and share it with your friends and family.

What can you do?

Nearly 90% of Australians we surveyed responded that they agreed that a 10c deposit and refund scheme would encourage more people to recycle bottles and cans.

Clean Up Australia believes that a Container Refund Scheme will help us reduce the amount of containers that are ending up in our environment

We need to take action to ensure we look our precious environment for future generations.

In August 2012 our Federal and State Environment Ministers will meet to decide between a refund scheme versus public place recycling. We want to make sure they have the chance to hear what their constituents think about these options. Use our online Ministers Letter tool to tell your State Minister what you really want.

-> Write a letter to your Minister now!   

Check out this video and share it with your friends and family. 

You can do even more

Support us by donating today so that we can all enjoy a litter free environment tomorrow.

Your donation will be directly allocated to our campaign of lobbying for the introduction of a National Container Refund Scheme. We’ll be actively engaging with people right across Australia all the way to the finish line in August.  It’s a fight we cannot afford to loose. So make your voice heard!

-> Donate now

Please add "container" to your last name when filling in our donation from so that we can allocate your donation to our campaign. 

Thank you for your support.