Recycling News
Northern Territory "Cash for Containers"
The Northern Territory Government
has committed to starting its “Cash for Containers” scheme in
January 2012. The SA CDL team has been working closely with NT to ensure
the schemes are compatible and that the same containers are eligible for
a refund.
In the near future depots may see beverage containers with the refund marking
‘10c refund at SA/NT collection depots in State/Territory of purchase’.
This is an additional approved refund marking and allows companies that
sell their product in SA and NT to have a joint refund marking. The ‘original’
refund marking is still valid in South Australia, with NT also allowing
containers to be sold with the SA marking until 2013.
Please note the following:
-
The schemes will operate and be administered separately from one another, and will be monitored by both South Australia and the Northern Territory before any steps are taken that might eventually allow direct interaction of those schemes
-
As a result, it remains an offence to claim a refund on beverage containers purchased outside of South Australia (including Northern Territory)
- An approval to operate a collection depot in SA does not constitute an approval to operate a depot in NT.
Information supplied by the Environment Protection Authority
South Australian Return Rates on deposit bearing beverage containers continue to rise and are among the best being achieved anywhere in the world. The increase from 5 cents to 10 cents has played a role in achieving higher returns with consumers again being prepared to return containers for refund rather than placing them in kerbside collections or in with their domestic waste.
The following chart shows a comparison of return rates over the last 5 years.
| Full year return comparisons | |||||
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09
|
2009/10 |
|
| Glass | 81.9 |
79.8 |
78.5 |
79.1 |
84.3 |
| Aluminium | 75.4 |
78.8 |
77.3 |
82.9 |
85.6 |
| PET | 66.1 |
65.9 |
63.6 |
70.4 |
73.9 |
| HDPE | 48.7 |
46.4 |
49.2 |
50.9 |
61.3 |
| LPB | 36.6 |
36.9 |
35.4 |
49.6 |
58.1 |
| Total | 69.5 |
70.6 |
69.9 |
75.8 |
80.1 |
Information supplied by the Environment Protection Authority
In addition to the increase refund amount to 10 cents, some other key amendments included the following:
-
It is an offence for any person to present to a collection depot, for the purpose of claiming refund amounts, containers that the person knows or has reason to believe were not purchased in South Australia
-
A collection depot may request any person presenting containers for the purpose of claiming refund amounts to complete a declaration form stating that the person has no reason to believe that the containers were not purchased in this State (note - this could be for any number of containers)
-
A collection depot must request a declaration from a person presenting 3000 or more containers within a 48 hour period for the purpose of claiming a refund
-
A collection depot may refuse to accept delivery of a container where they reasonably believe the container was not purchased in this State
-
A collection depot may refuse to accept delivery of a container where the person delivering the container refuses to complete a declaration.
Other minor amendments to definitions were made at the same time and if you wish to view these changes, a copy of the Environment Protection Act 1993 can be obtained from www.legislation.sa.gov.au
The penalty for persons presenting
containers not purchased in South Australia to a collection depot, retailer
or super collector for the purpose of claiming refund amounts is a maximum
fine of $30,000. If a collection depot operator reasonably believes containers
have originated from interstate, they can refuse to accept those containers
regardless of whether the person has completed a declaration.
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