The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) is calling on the NSW Premier to reject a national container recycling scheme that is being considered by state governments.
According to the AFGC, the $8 billion price tag for the recently unveiled national container deposit scheme (CDS) would cost consumers more at the grocery checkout and was a duplication of Australia's existing world-class kerbside recycling system.
AFGC Chief Executive Gary Dawson says the NSW Premier Mike Baird should finally reject the scheme based on its high cost to consumers and poor economics.
A CDS, he says, would force all consumers to pay up to 20 cents extra for every drink bottle, can and container they buy. They would then have to store the empty containers in their home before travelling to a handful of recycling centres to get their money back.
Dawson also pointed to the ongoing failure of the Northern Territory system, which has been rejected by Queensland as an unnecessary cost to consumers.
“A CDS has already been rejected by Queensland as economically unsound, while the Northern Territory scheme continues to be a wholesale failure,” he said.
Dawson said a cost benefit analysis that shows the cost of a CDS has blown out from an estimated $1.4 billion to $8 billion, a 570 per cent increase that would be solely met by industry and taxpayers.
“In contrast, industry is proposing an alternative National Recycling Action Plan that would make it easier for Australians to recycle litter at their work, at home and in public places including parks, breaches, sporting grounds and shopping centres.
“Importantly the National Recycling Action Plan would not cost the taxpayer a cent," he said.
According to Dawson, the industry-backed approach involves the expansion of Australia’s existing, and successful, yellow-top bin network from homes into Australian major public spaces, and in doing so drive up the country’s overall recycling rates.
He says the beverage, food and retail industries are prepared to spend $285 million over the next 10 years to improve recycling and reducing litter, and this includes the installation and roll-out of up to 166,000 recycling bins in shopping centres, parks, airports and beaches.
“Australians already have some of the highest recycling rates at home. We can achieve the same recycling rates in public places with this cost effective solution.
“However, none of this can occur if an unnecessary, and duplicate, recycling system is put in place – and funded by the taxpayer,” Dawson said.
The AFGC says the NSW Premier should reject the scheme.
