Question details
Question on Notice
(1) What analysis has been conducted on the environmental impact of forcing recyclable aluminium containers into general waste streams to achieve scheme integrity.
(2) How does this directive align with Victoria's waste reduction and circular economy objectives.
(3) What consultation has been conducted to ensure the new directions are not burdening small business.
(4) Will the Minister consider implementing a container-free threshold system similar to Tasmania's TasRecycle scheme to reduce compliance burden on small businesses.
I thank the Member for these questions.
VicReturn recently wrote to first suppliers in Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme to educate them about ways to ensure their pre-consumer containers are not inadvertently entering the Scheme because these containers are not eligible for 10 cent refunds. The letter encouraged first suppliers to use appropriate procedures for secure storage and transparent disposal of pre-consumer containers. This includes recommendations about how to recycle the containers including selling waste containers directly to a material recycler or ensuring kerbside collection bins are managed securely, both of which play a key role in complementing the Container Deposit Scheme in Victoria’s recycling system and circular economy.
In designing CDS Vic, the Victorian Government carefully considered the potential regulatory burden on the beverage industry, including small businesses. The regulatory impact analysis, released for public consultation, showed that the CDS Vic framework and scope would not disproportionately impact small beverage suppliers.
CDS Vic has been designed to reduce regulatory burden where possible on participating businesses. For example, scheme contributions are calculated based on container volumes, so smaller beverage suppliers pay less compared to larger beverage suppliers. Small beverage suppliers (supplying 300,000 or less containers per annum) can also pay invoices to VicReturn quarterly, rather than monthly, to reduce administrative burden.
Steve Dimopoulos MP
Member for Oakleigh
Minister for Environment
