Victoria this week said it would implement a container deposit scheme – the last state or major territory to support such an initiative.
The state government said the scheme would begin in 2023, after it is designed “in close consultation with councils and industry”.
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) said it supports “circular economy policies” such as the Victorian container deposit scheme and expressed its interest in working with the government on developing the scheme.
In a statement, CCA said the policy, together with similar circular economy policies in other states in Australia, helps to “create the conditions necessary to make an informed investment decision to recycle in Australia”.
In November, CCA signed a heads of agreement with Veolia to explore opportunities for a PET recycling plant in Australia. Also, this month, Pact Group, Cleanaway, and Asahi Beverages signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a plastic pelletising plant in Albury/Wodonga.
Peter West, CCA’s managing director for Australia, said the company supports well-run, cost-effective container deposit schemes in every state and territory.
“We welcome Victoria’s decision to use container deposit schemes to improve beverage container recycling rates,” he said.
“We are very keen to make this container deposit scheme work. When we sell a bottle, we want it to be a bottle again – and again. Container deposit schemes are the best way to support the recycling industry.
“Coca-Cola Amatil is a major producer of recyclable containers and a major purchaser of recycled materials. In Australia, seven out of 10 of our plastic bottles are already being made from 100 per cent recycled plastic, and this year recycled PET will make up more than half of the PET used in our bottles.
“We’re pro-collection and support a circular economy for packaging materials. We’re a market leader in the use of recycled materials, and always looking to do more,” West said.
“We would like to work with the Victorian Government to ensure the container deposit scheme maximises collection rates and recycling and minimises impact on consumers and the industry,” West said.
CCA’s 2019 full year results revealed that volumes in Queensland decreased one per cent after a container deposit scheme was introduced in late 2018. This was in contrast to volumes in the rest of the country, which, subtracting Queensland, showed a 1.5 per cent growth rate.
The Victorian container deposit scheme is a part of a suite of new policies under the Recycling Victoria package, which, the government said, aims to make Victoria a leader in reusing, reducing, and recycling waste.
Another major plank of Victoria’s recycling plan is to roll out a kerbside recycling system that uses four colour-coded bins: a green lid for food and garden organics; a purple lid for glass; a yellow lid for plastic, metal, and paper; and a red lid for household waste.
The state government said by collecting glass separately, it can make sure it is more effectively recycled, and will also make the recovery of other recyclables simpler.
Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said the transformation would position Victoria as a national leader in recycling.
“This represents a holistic approach to reducing, reusing and recycling our state’s waste. That’s good news for Victoria’s environment and good news for Victorian jobs,” Andrews said.
The Victoria’s plan to implement a container deposit scheme has been widely reported ahead of this week’s official announcement. The Australian Council of Recycling welcomed the scheme earlier this month.
