The Queensland Government has announced that a container deposit scheme will commence in the state in 2018.
The Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles also revealed in the announcement on 22 July 2016 that Queensland and New South Wales had entered into high-level talks about setting up a single-scheme administrator.
Dr Mile stated that the Government wants “a seamless system that’s good for the environment and friendly for business” and that a “single administrator could cover both states to deliver the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness”.
The NSW container deposit scheme is to be introduced in July 2017. The Queensland Government will be looking to align the Queensland scheme with NSW, where empty drink containers will be taken to a collection depot or placed in a reverse vending machine for a 10-cent refund. In the NSW most drinks sold in containers between 150ml and three litres will be included and eligible containers to be clearly marked. As per the NSW scheme, containers including plain milk, pure juice and wine containers will not be included.
Consultation on the scheme will begin in the coming months.
