Tuesday, 2 May 2023

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, Minister for Environment) (13:51): It was my pleasure on 14 April to announce that Victoria’s container deposit scheme, the most accessible and convenient scheme in the country, will commence from 1 November this year. CDS Vic will allow Victorians to return their used drink cans, bottles and cartons for a 10-cent refund across more than 600 refund collection points run by the appointed network operators and overseen by a scheme coordinator. The scheme will have significant environmental benefits, as the CDS will reduce Victoria’s litter by up to half and turn drink containers into new recycled products. Our state’s economy will also gain from this important initiative as CDS Vic will not only put extra cash in Victorians’ pockets but will also generate more than 600 jobs.

Victorian charities, which play an important role in our circular economy, will also have new opportunities to raise funds with CDS Vic. These groups may choose to receive container donations from the community, host a container collection drive or register to run a refund collection point themselves. Life Saving Victoria is just one of the many community organisations that stands to benefit, and it was great to be joined by Life Saving Victoria volunteers on 14 April as we made this announcement in Port Melbourne alongside several of my parliamentary colleagues.

The container deposit scheme is a fundamental part of our overhaul of waste and recycling in Victoria and our $515 million investment. CDS Vic will work alongside our new standardised four-bin system to achieve our goal of diverting 80 per cent of all materials away from landfill by 2030.