With announcements from New South Wales and South Australia that their container deposit schemes are expanding to include larger bottles like wine and spirits, it’s time for Tasmania to follow suit.
The long anticipated launch of Tasmania’s container deposit scheme has been a resounding success. Millions of containers have already been recycled, ensuring waste is diverted from our environment and landfill. It has the added benefit of putting money back in Tasmanians’ pockets during a cost of living crisis.
It’s why the Greens had been calling for this change for more than a decade. Tasmania became the last state to implement a container deposit scheme earlier this year after legislation was finally passed in 2022. Its early success clearly shows that Tasmanians want to support recycling programs and reduce waste.
Other states, like New South Wales and South Australia, have had container deposit schemes for years. They’ve now expanded their program to allow the recycling of larger bottles like wine and spirits.
It’s time for Tasmania to catch up. The government should expand their successful container deposit scheme to include larger bottles, encouraging Tasmanians to be even more responsible with their waste. We need a nationally consistent container deposit scheme.
