Ms BURNET (Clark) – Honourable Speaker, last week on May Day, 1 May, Tasmania’s container refund scheme finally got off the ground, and it appears to be off to a flying start, with more than a million containers returned in the first four days. Australia now has a container refund scheme in every state and territory, Tasmania being the last state to join the party.
The Greens have been calling for a program in Tasmania for many years. I was looking through the history books today, and the Greens leader, Nick McKim, said in 2012 as he was summing up what was going to happen that year that parliament was working towards the container deposit levy, so it has taken a long time for this parliament to make it to getting that actually up and away.
I should also point out that Senator Peter Whish‑Wilson has been a real advocate at the Senate level. He has been working really hard to do what he can to reduce the amount of plastic pollution and any sort of pollution ending up in his beloved oceans.
There have been so many community members who have really championed this over the years. I acknowledge their work to help the government get to the point where we can have this introduced.
Last week I visited the Resource Work Cooperative, which is otherwise known as the South Hobart Tip Shop, which hosts a reverse vending machine. The Resource Work Cooperative coordinator, Tom Crawford, said:
Our focus is on reuse, so this recycling venture may be the introduction for many who haven’t been to the Tip Shop before.
There is a likely win‑win for people who come to return their beverage containers to get that refund or to put it into to some sort of charity or sporting club. They too may be exposed to reuse and looking at those other values and try to reduce waste more generally. Tom went on to say:
We also hope that people will also come into the shop and support the reuse economy as well as donate materials, so there’s an opportunity and an invitation for people to do so.
That was one of 49 facilities across Tasmania, so the added benefits are felt there. There are charities and sporting clubs which have jumped on board, and it will be important to hear if it is worthwhile for them in the months to come.
The Recycle Rewards app is user-friendly and it would be of value if the government promoted the scheme for all users. The Greens want to see a reasonable distribution of drop‑off points for isolated communities, which should not be disadvantaged. Tourist destinations that might be small but busy during the warmer months, such as Bridport, Dover or Bicheno, should not be disadvantaged in their recycling and redeeming options.
I might add that the member for McIntyre, Tanya Rattray MLC, has raised her concerns with the department about Bridport not having its own reverse vending machine, despite this being a very popular destination for tourists, campers and shack owners, particularly over the summer months. Perhaps there might be a flexible model that would work well for this, perhaps with a mobile vending machine, just as it would benefit festivals and other events where people gather.
We hope to see a lot of Tasmanians getting on board with the Recycle Rewards program. I thank the minister for her work on this, and I look forward to seeing the minister working with counterparts to looking at increasing that 10 cent return. That may be with a national approach to increasing the value that we put on waste to reduce the amount that goes into our waterways, into the environment and reduces the amount going to landfill.
