Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Container deposit scheme

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (17:21): (1069) In just a couple of months we will see the one-year anniversary of Victoria’s container deposit scheme (CDS) – a milestone I am very much looking forward to. Even though we have not yet had it for a year, we have had over 750 million containers returned through the scheme. I made a pretty good contribution to that number with my office –

A member: Tell us more.

Sheena WATT: Yes, I am a big fan of San Pellegrino, and there is much San Pellegrino that has been recycled through my office. There were 750 million containers returned. That is $75 million put into the pockets of Victorians as well as saving plastic and aluminium from going into landfill, our oceans and our bushland. I recently went to my local CDS reverse vending machine on Union Street and dropped off my office’s contribution to the scheme, and it was packed. There were families with their kids making some pocket money, share houses fighting over what to spend their profits on and even an older lady who had an entire trash bag filled with milk bottles. There you go. These CDS machines have really become a new staple of the everyday lives of many Victorians, and a trip to one of these machines will always give you an insight into the wide diversity of Victorians with one commonality – they all love recycling and they all love the CDS. It is a love that I share, and it is one I am sure the Minister for Environment in the other place shares. Today my adjournment matter is to ask the Minister for Environment to visit one of my local reverse vending machines to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the scheme.