Jason Dowling
February 2, 2012
The Age
Ian Kiernan says Victoria’s bottle recovery rate is only 35 per cent, whereas in South Australia it’s 87 per cent.
VICTORIA should immediately introduce a 10¢ refund scheme for bottles and cans to reduce the thousands of drink containers dumped across the state, according to the founder of Clean Up Australia Day.
Visiting Melbourne in preparation for Clean Up Australia Day next month, Ian Kiernan called on the Baillieu government to introduce a bottle deposit scheme.
”What we are pushing for is [container] deposit legislation like they have got now in the Northern Territory and what they have in South Australia, your recovery rates on beverage containers are less than 35 per cent, whereas in South Australia they are 87 per cent,” he said.
”We like incentive and disincentive and deposit legislation is a great incentive. Instead of seeing a bit of rubbish on the creekside or the beach or in the street, you are seeing 10¢ – that’ll soon disappear.”
A Victorian parliamentary committee is currently considering a bill from the Greens to introduce a bottle refund scheme in Victoria with the committee’s findings expected this month.
Several senior government figures, including Premier Ted Baillieu, Environment Minister Ryan Smith and leader of the Liberal Party in the upper house, David Davis, have publicly backed a container refund scheme in the past.
Mr Davis told State Parliament in 2009: ”We know the container deposit legislation is a popular step in the community. It is supported by the community, it is feasible, it does work in other states, and it does work in other parts of the world.”
A container refund scheme has recently been introduced in the Northern Territory, and South Australia has operated a popular bottle and can refund scheme for decades.
Mr Kiernan’s call for a bottle refund scheme could embarrass both the Baillieu government and opposition Labor Party, both of which have baulked at introducing a scheme in Victoria under pressure from the beverage industry.
Greens MP Greg Barber said the Baillieu government and Labor opposition should back the cash refund model to reduce the number of bottles and cans littering the state’s creeks, rivers and beaches.
”If Ted Baillieu and [Opposition Leader] Daniel Andrews come out for Clean Up Australia Day they will find most things they are picking up are bottles and cans,” he said.
”They simply wouldn’t be there if they were worth 10¢.”
The Australian Food and Grocery Council submission to Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry argued strongly against a container deposit scheme.
It said a bottle refund scheme would add to the ”regulatory and administrative burden on industry” and ”increase costs to government, business and the community”.
Clean up Australia Day will be held on Sunday, March 4.
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