Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australians are keen to help the environment. They are keen to reduce our carbon footprint as best they can and they are keen to make sure we become an environmentally friendly nation. The new government campaigned on being climate friendly and, as such, I believe they now need to set specific, achievable goals that not only are about reducing our carbon footprint but also cover other important environmental issues, such as recycling. But is important that the goals we set are attainable and reasonable and are not cost-prohibitive. It is widely accepted that any measure to improve our treatment of the environment will cost money, but the proper legislation, procedure and planning will ensure that the environmental benefits far outweigh the costs. I call on the federal government to commit to a ban of all plastic and glass bottles included in landfill by 2012. To support this ban, I am calling on the government to introduce a nationwide container deposit scheme so that an incentive is provided to all Australians to reduce the amount of landfill from plastic and glass bottles.

For just over 30 years now, South Australia, the only state with a container deposit scheme, has provided people with a 5c refund for each recycled drink container. The recycling rate in South Australia is now 85 per cent, compared to just 35 per cent in other states. In February, the South Australian state government announced it will increase the 5c deposit to 10c later this year, a move which will no doubt increase the already high recycling rate. This successful scheme should be embraced by other states. However, we can go one step further in providing even further incentive by introducing across the nation reverse vending machines, which are very popular in Scandinavian countries such as Finland.

Reverse vending machines are small, automated machines which have been installed in supermarkets, local shops, service stations and kiosks across Finland. The machines take up very little shop space and their installation is in cooperation with retailers. Consumers take their empty glass and plastic bottles to their local supermarket or 7-Eleven equivalent and deposit their empty bottles. After they have deposited their bottles one by one into the automated chute, the machine prints out a bar-coded docket which tells the consumer how much money they will be reimbursed. The consumer then takes it to the checkout and is reimbursed the money. Larger plastic bottles attract a larger refund than smaller ones.

Finland has a return rate of some 98 per cent—the highest in Europe. On average, a glass bottle is refilled 33 times and a plastic bottle is refilled 18 times. The empty plastic bottle caps are also recycled. It is estimated that this highly successful scheme prevents around 380,000 tonnes of waste annually. The scheme has also had an impact on the trucking industry: trucks deliver the full bottles and return the empty bottles to the manufacturer or soft drink plant, thereby reducing the number of empty trucks on the road and increasing transport productivity.

The Finnish system, which began in the 1970s, around the same time as South Australia’s deposit scheme, shows that monetary reimbursement and easy access to return points can increase the incentive to recycle. Indeed, recycling rates in Australia have increased and, in some aspects, this can be attributed to increased access to kerbside recycling. The Australian government’s 2006 Productivity Commission report on waste management suggested that recycling participation in many households may simply be a response to having a convenient and easy-to-use recycling service provided for them.

As part of a national container deposit scheme, federal and state governments should work in cooperation with supermarkets and service stations to install reverse vending machines. Woolworths, Coles, 7-Elevens, NightOwls, IGAs and service stations would be provided with a financial incentive from the federal government to install the machines. Further incentive would be provided by consumers continually returning to the store and spending their reimbursement on products within the shop. In fact, some reverse vending machines allow for a retailer’s logo and message to be printed on the docket, providing retailers with an opportunity to promote current deals or savings. Consumers, despite paying an increase of 10c, 15c or 20c on their drink initially, will be able to have this money returned to them through easy, local access to the machines.

In rural and remote parts of Australia, where market competition is limited, it is highly unlikely these machines could be installed in locally owned service stations or small grocery stores. I therefore call on the federal government, when implementing a national container deposit scheme, to work with local governments to provide a return point for regional and remote Australians. Many smaller, remote area councils do not provide kerbside recycling services and instead provide drop-off points for rubbish. These collection points can easily serve as a return point for empty glass and plastic bottles. For example, a local government employee at the drop-off point could calculate the number of bottles returned by a person and then write out a docket which could then be taken to local council offices for reimbursement. Federal government financial assistance would allow the local councils to then transport the bottles to a recycling centre or bulk collection point.

It is currently cheaper to dump glass into landfill than to recycle it. With only around a third of bottles being recycled, it is high time the federal government moved to implement a scheme similar to that in South Australia. I understand that the current parliamentary inquiry into waste management will hand down its report in August, and I look forward to seeing what measures it proposes to increase bottle recycling. In the meantime, I call on the government to look further into the implementation of reverse vending machines across Australia.

A national container deposit scheme, using reverse vending machines where possible, is a win-win situation. Australians are willing to put in a little bit more effort to help the environment if the financial incentive is present and the inconvenience is minimal. Recycling rate targets would be easier to meet and the federal government would be meeting some of their commitments to reduce energy use, waste and environmental harm. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the community benefit derived from such a scheme.

Putting a monetary value on the return of bottles will help to reduce litter. According to Clean Up Australia, glass pieces were the second most common item of rubbish collected on Clean Up Australia Day in March last year. Glass alcohol bottles were in fourth place, and plastic bottle caps and lids came in fifth. Polyethylene terephthalate—PET—plastic beverage containers came in ninth. Last year, six of the 10 most common items collected on Clean Up Australia Day were recyclable.

The Finnish example shows us that if people had an incentive to keep their bottles, instead of throwing them away once finished, the number of glass and plastic bottles littering our environment would reduce. The 2006 Productivity Commission report into waste management found that the people most likely to litter are aged below 25 years, unemployed and/or are part of large groups—the same people who would benefit most from personally collecting bottles and returning them for some much needed cash. Indeed, in Finland and Denmark, young Scandinavians can often be seen in the early mornings—after a party, for instance—lugging bags and cartons of empty bottles back to the supermarket to receive some welcome cash.

A container deposit scheme would provide a vital fundraising opportunity for community groups. In fact, last year in South Australia the scouting organisation made more than $7 million from bottle recycling. Schools, P&Cs, sporting clubs and community organisations would be able to introduce collection programs and use the money raised to fund a range of programs and improvements to their own organisations.

This Labor government campaigned on its climate-friendliness and its commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and environmental harm. I therefore call on this government to work in cooperation with businesses and local governments to introduce a national container deposit scheme. I further call on this government to make moves to ban the inclusion of glass and plastic bottles in landfill by 2012. If this government is serious about being more climate friendly, then it should, as soon as possible, take steps to join its South Australian counterparts in helping Australians help the environment by implementing a national scheme.

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