Local councils in South Australia are pushing for wine bottles to join the State’s container deposit scheme.
Councillors and mayors supported the proposal to investigate a 10c refund on wine bottles at the 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”.
“The LGA understands that expanding the (container deposit scheme) to include wine bottles would bring significant benefits to the local government sector and the community, both in terms of reducing the cost of recycling services and increasing the quality … of the other materials being recycled,” the report read.
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.
The state’s wine industry is strongly opposed to any efforts to bring its products within the scope of container deposit legislation.
Brian Smedley, the chief executive of the South Australian Wine Industry Association, told Adelaide Now the move would unsustainably increase costs across the wine industry.
South Australia is one of the most progressive states in Australia when it comes to recycling waste. Its government has a dedicated environmental body – Green Industry SA – which is advising the government on the move to a circular economy.
