Page 1607 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 8 May 2018
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waste, recycling and the environment but also positive for jobs and community engagement.
It has been a long time coming, but most jurisdictions in Australia have now agreed to introduce container deposit schemes. These include both Labor and Liberal governments in various states and territories. It continues to amaze me that it does not have tripartisan support in this place.
Nonetheless the Greens look forward to the container deposit scheme commencing in the ACT later this year. I know there are many in the community who are looking forward to it. I am aware of people out there who are already collecting their containers ready to take them back at the end of the year. I welcome some of the details that we saw the minister release a couple of weeks ago, including learning some of the lessons from New South Wales, things such as the fact that crushed cans can still go into the system whereas in New South Wales that has been a source of frustration or disappointment for members of the community.
I look forward to seeing the scheme roll out shortly. The Greens will be pleased to support this minor amendment today to facilitate the new legislation coming into effect.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (4.43): For many of us, recycling at home is second nature. We have systems in place in our kitchen to make sure our recyclables are separated from the rubbish and we are acquainted with our yellow-lidded wheelie bins. It is the least we can do to play our part as the planet strains under the weight of human consumption.
Best intentions can sometimes fall by the wayside when our usual habits are interrupted or when doing the right thing might not necessarily align with doing the convenient thing. When we grab a drink on the run to the bus stop or have a picnic out with friends, it can be tempting for some, as we have seen too regularly, unfortunately, to throw bottles and cans in the nearest rubbish bin rather than saving them for recycling. Unfortunately, some people do not even make it to the rubbish bin and just leave their rubbish behind.
Single-use containers make up the majority of the litter stream found in our environment, so doing our bit to recycle all of our containers can have a real impact. It takes the same amount of energy to produce 20 fresh aluminium cans from recycled materials as it does to produce just one can from raw materials. And once a can has been made, it can be recycled endlessly without losing any quality. If you think about it, it is a pretty remarkable feat, and all the more reason to make sure the containers we use make their way into the right bin. Don’t get me wrong, Madam Deputy Speaker: Canberrans are doing pretty well; we are recycling about 70 per cent of our waste. But that other 30 per cent means there is room for improvement.
To encourage more Canberrans to do the right thing, and to do the right thing more often, a container deposit scheme will start operating in the ACT from 30 June this year. Residents will now have a financial incentive to collect and deposit containers. For every empty eligible container returned, a person can earn 10c. This will reduce
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