Call for 10c increase on container return schemes

Environmental groups, community organisations and recycling industry leaders are calling on state and territory governments to increase their container deposit schemes’ refund amounts from 10c to 20c to increase the number of bottles and cans returned and give more money back to consumers, charities and community groups.

The launch of the ‘20 Cents Makes Sense’ campaign highlights that none of Australia’s container return schemes are performing as well as overseas programs, leading to billions of recyclable containers polluting our environment and costing everyday Australians.

Currently, the 10c refund leaves Australia trailing behind global leaders like Germany (€0.25/AUD 40c) and Slovakia (€0.15 / AUD 25c), which boast return rates over 90%. Australia’s schemes average return rates of just 68%.

The 10c people get back currently — now worth only around 6.5c due to inflation — is failing to encourage returns, leading to an estimated 4.23 billion valuable containers wasted every year. That’s millions of dollars in potential refunds lost for Australians, charities and community groups and instead filling up our landfills.

Simon Dowding, Head of Strategic Communications and Government Relations at Pact Group, said, “Australia’s container deposit schemes are good, but we can do better. By increasing the refund amount, we can drastically improve the number of containers we recycle, reduce the quantity that go to landfill, and position Australia as a global leader in the circular economy.”

Robert Kelman, Director, Reloop Pacific, explained, “The current 10c refund is now losing value as an incentive to encourage people to return their recyclable bottles and cans, so they end up in landfill or litter our land and waterways. Increasing the refund to 20c is a proven solution that will not only dramatically boost return rates but also put more money directly into the pockets of everyday Australians, charities and community groups.”

The ‘20 Cents Makes Sense’ campaign asks government to:

• increase the refund for all bottles and cans from 10c to 20c across all state and territory schemes.
• commit to regular, inflation-linked reviews of the refund amount to ensure its value never drops again.
   

Research by Redbridge shows 85% of Australian adults back a 20c refund, with 84% promising to recycle more if the cash incentive goes up. Crucially, the refund is fully recoverable — meaning there is no net cost to anyone who returns their containers.

Beyond the direct cash for households, a 20c refund would support further funds for charities, sports clubs and community groups.

Emphasising the financial neutrality for consumers, Jeff Angel, Director of Boomerang Alliance, Australia’s peak circular economy non-profit, said, “The consumer price impact will be neutral as it’s a refund. It’s a more meaningful incentive for more Australians to return their containers for recycling and get more money back in their pockets.”

For more information, visit the 20 Cents Makes Sense campaign website.

Image credit: iStock.com/Karen McFarland