Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch says there’s a “possibility” that wine bottles will be added to its container deposit scheme.
In a question on notice tabled in the Queensland Parliament, independent Noosa MP Sandy Bolton asked when containers, such as wine, milk and spirit bottles, might be included in the scheme.
Enoch noted that the government was awaiting the results of the South Australian government’s review of its scheme before making a decision.
“One of the areas of their review is the range of containers that are included under the scheme,” Enoch said.
“This review is being watched closely by other states and its outcomes will contribute to national discussions on the issue.
“The Queensland government is actively participating in these discussions.”
Queensland’s container refund scheme, which began in November 2018, has resulted in more than 523 million containers being returned to more than 275 container refund points, resulting in more than $52 million in refunds for customers.
However, LNP Environment spokesman David Crisafulli told The Brisbane Times: “I’m not convinced that it’s operating at efficiently as it should at the moment.
“There are large areas that don’t have a place where people can drop their containers off, there’s no consistency across the hours of operating and the way the scheme and the way individual sites operate.
“I want to get those things sorted immediately.”
Push to add wine bottles in SA
Local councils in South Australia are pushing for wine bottles to join the State’s container deposit scheme.
Councillors and mayors supported a proposal to investigate a 10c refund on wine bottles at a recent Local Government Association’s ordinary general meeting.
Removing wine bottles from household bins would shift the cost of recycling from councils to private entities, which are funded under the scheme.
According to a report by LGA senior policy officer Emily Heywood Smith, glass was responsible for a “significant proportion” of the cost of recycling to councils.
Glass shards found in recycling bins also “cause a number of problems for councils through the recycling process”.
Currently, wine bottles are not included in the scheme because it was established to prevent littering and wine bottles were not considered “takeaway products” that contributed to the rubbish problem.
Winemakers fight changes to SA container deposit scheme
Australian Grape & Wine has opposed moves to include wine bottles in South Australia’s Container Deposit Scheme.
According to AGW, it could cost South Australian wine businesses around $5 million per year and jeopardise the financial sustainability of the wine sector.
It says producers will struggle to bear direct costs including payment of the cost of providing for a refund for deposited containers via a quarterly bill, container label registration, and handling fees. Associated costs would include administrative and compliance costs, quarterly reporting requirements and the redesign and re-printing of labels.
The association noted: “In a very tight retail environment, it is a myth to suggest the producer can pass these costs on to consumers.”
“These costs would be felt by many small businesses that contribute so much to rural and regional economies in South Australia,” Tony Battaglene, CEO of Australian Grape & Wine, said in February.
Battaglene said AGW was committed to sustainable environmental practices and strongly supported recycling as a part of its environmental commitment. However “no compelling evidence has been presented to support the inclusion of wine bottles in South Australia’s CDS.”
The primary purpose of the CDS is to reduce the amount of beverage containers found in the litter stream. Since South Australia introduced the scheme in 1977, wine bottles have been exempt on the basis that they represent less than 0.04% of South Australia’s litter stream.
